Back to black
by Trips to Neverland
Summary: Back when she was a scientist working for the organization, Shiho Miyano was in a relationship with Gin. But what can she do when she starts developing feelings for the wrong person? Her sister's boyfriend, Moroboshi Dai.
1. Prologue

It was a long day in the lab. Shiho had to work restlessly for hours. When she finally sat down on her desk chair, she seemed almost to fall into it. She closed her eyes for a minute, enjoying a moment of internal peace until someone interrupted it.

"Sherry!" Gin's voice reverberated through her bones. Her blue eyes swiftly opened and landed on his.

Shiho didn't feel like seeing anyone at the moment, especially him. For that reason, she turned her gaze to the laptop on the desk, placed her delicate fingers on it and started typing in hopes of him leaving her alone.

"What are you doing here Gin? It's past midnight." She asked.

"I was outside and saw the light coming through your window. I figured I'd pay you a visit."

"And what were you doing outside the lab at this hour?" She teased. She already knew the answer; he came to see her, maybe to invite her to his place or to invite himself to hers.

"I had a job. You're not the only reason I come here, Sherry." By the time he finished his sentence, Gin was standing right next to her seat.

Shiho knew too well the kind of 'jobs' Gin does. He was responsible for executing assassinations and he sure as hell enjoyed it. It was his hobby. You look at him the wrong way and you'll find his gun tip on your head as if all the feelings died in his chest and he was left with nothing but ruthlessness. _Who knows whom he'd killed just before appearing next to her_, she thought.

"I appreciate your visit Gin but I'm afraid you have to leave. I have a lot of work to do." She coldly said. And although she was really busy, Shiho always exaggerated showing it in Gin's presence. She preferred workloads over hanging out with him.

She couldn't deny his invites but she could with the right justification.

"You've been too busy lately, you should get some rest."

"That's not anokata's opinion. He wants this done as soon as possible and if I take rests it won't happen."

"One day won't make a difference." Gin softly said after kneeling down to her eye level. Shiho could feel his green eyes eating her as he spoke. She suddenly stopped typing and turned to look at him, she could've sworn that there was no life behind his eyes, just having them so close made her heart beat a little faster. Gin continued gently "Don't come to the lab tomorrow, I'll pick you up from your apartment. We can spend the day together"

"This can't happen. I have a report to finish tomorrow, and I need to monitor the health status of the test subjects."

"That's why we have other people working here, I'm sure they can handle babysitting some mice." His soft tone turned rougher this timer.

Gin stood up and before she could protest, he mumbled a goodnight and left. The scientist's excuses of being busy weren't working anymore. When Gin misses her so much, he'd go as far as defying the orders just to spend some time with her.

Frustrated, Shiho closed her laptop lid violently.

After escaping his grasp for a month, he's back again. Tomorrow, he's going to put his hands on her again. She hated it, yet she was too scared to say no. She never dared to say it and he had his gun tip on her head twice, so what if she does? He'll certainly kill her with no hesitation.

Gin walked down the corridor. He felt a certain kind of happiness he has lacked for a month. While he doesn't deprive himself of rewards, Sherry was always something else. Her beauty was something else to him, her white skin and her flaming locks. They were all his and only his. Tomorrow, he will be breathing her sweet scent again! The thought drew a little smile on his face as he walked outside the lab.

(*)

"Are you ready to order?" The waiter smiled.

"Not yet, I'm still waiting for someone..." Shiho smiled back. She was in an especially good mood today since she was meeting her sister. It was a well deserved rest after spending last night with Gin.

Adjusting the strap of her dress, Shiho turned her head to the window where soft drops of water patted the glass. It was raining yet people filled the streets of Tokyo. She examined them until her eyes landed on a couple. For some reason, it's always too easy to spot couples. They all have a mysterious energy surrounding them exposing the love and caring in their eyes by one look.

Shiho stared. They looked so happy, and why wouldn't they be? Relationships are supposed to makes people feel that. It's about having someone out there to share your happiness and sorrow. But that was not the idea Shiho had for a relationship. Gin would never look at her the way that man was looking at his girlfriend, and she for sure wouldn't either.

With a sigh, she looked away uninterested and perused the menu again.

"Shiho!" The familiar voice made her smile instantly. "Sorry I kept you waiting, I got splashed by a car and had to change my clothes"

"Don't worry about it." She stood up and hugged her sister. Akemi proceeded to take a seat.

As a chemist, Shiho acknowledged that the sight of Akemi makes Dopamine run through her system, her sister always manage to make her happy. But lately, Akemi seems to have a higher dose of dopamine than usual, since a wide smile won't leave her face.

"I want to meet him." The redhead finally declared.

This boyfriend of her sister's has been a mystery of three months now. All she knew about him was that Akemi hit him with her car and they somehow ended up dating, and that Akemi was head over heels for him, which she didn't like one bit (She feared her sister trusting the wrong person). But then the third thing she knew about him was that he made Akemi so happy, and that was enough for her to want to meet him.

"Great!" Akemi cheered. She was thrilled to reunite the two people she loved the most together.

Akemi knew Shiho to be an introvert, always preferring solitude over people. So when Shiho didn't want to meet Dai at first she respected her choice. But introversion and busyness weren't the only reasons for Shiho to refuse, there was the history of Akemi too. From all the guys that the older sister had dated, Shiho always had something to complain about; He's stupid, clumsy, weak, effeminate, infirm, loud, shaky, unfashionable... and the list goes on.

Despite the complicated and difficult taste, Akemi was sure Shiho will like Dai for she couldn't help but notice a resemblance in her boyfriend's and her sister's personalities.

"This time, I just know you're going to love him as much as I do." The brunette winked.

* * *

**Next chapter: Shuichi gets to meet Shiho and Gin. But things don't go the way he wanted.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Red meets Silver

Once inside the restaurant, Shiho's blues looked for her sister. It didn't take long for the brunette to spot her and wave from a table across the place where she sat with her boyfriend. The scientist walked towards them with steady paces, reflecting overbearing confidence.

Deep inside, a part of Shiho found pleasure in meeting her sister's boyfriends regardless of how things turn out. She rarely gets a chance to meet people not related to the organization and those guys were the exception. Despite that, her difficult taste and brutal sarcasm resulted in Akemi hating most of the guys.

It became a drive for Akemi to bring someone that meets the 'Shiho standards'. She definitely trusted her sister's taste and cared about her getting along with whoever she ends up with.

Shiho didn't know what Akemi tells the guys prior to meeting her, but they always seem too nervous in her presence. She might not be the sweetest talker and at times she doesn't know how to smile, but it's not like she's a monster!

The repeated clicking sound of Shiho's heels continued as she crossed her way to the table. Now is the time for the mystery of three months to be uncovered… Looking at the boyfriends back, she noticed the long hair. It was a bad sign; Shiho never liked long hair on men. She thinks long hair make guys look effeminate with the exception of Gin who, in her opinion, is the only person that can pull it off.

Once there, Akemi stood up and took a step forward to hug her. "I missed you!" the old sister squeaked before pulling back and looking at her boyfriend who was now standing to his feet. Shiho did the same. Akemi went on proudly announcing. "Shiho, this is Moroboshi Dai Kun."

Once she laid eyes on him, the younger sister instantly changed her mind. His hair was thick, dark and loose, framing a broad face of bold bone structure. His body was as toned as any man could wish his to be. There was nothing remotely feminine about him. As such his hair made him manlier. The dark circles under his eyes made him look sleep deprived, but not in a bad way. Those dark circles combined with his long lashes were like makeup to his eyes, making their beautiful green shade pop up. He was fairly handsome!

"Nice to meet you." He extended a hand.

"You too."

After meeting a handful of Akemi's boyfriends, Shiho mastered the art of analyzing guys. It starts even before they speak one word, and within minutes of conversation, she'd already make up her mind.

This man though took her longer to figure out, he didn't talk much, one of those thinker types that doesn't let much out. His background was confusing leaving her with more questions than answers. He was calm and confident, maybe a little too confident. He had a sharp gaze, a strong intellect, and a quick wit. For once, Shiho had nothing to complain about. She will certainly congratulate her sister once alone.

(*)

It's only been five months since Dai Moroboshi and Shiho Miyano first met. And although they rarely saw each other, she managed to be his shortcut to get into the organization. He didn't start from scratch like new members who didn't know they were part of a big thing, he was an acquaintance of a high ranked member after all, and his skills didn't disappoint.

All the little missions offered to him ended in success, he was smart and capable, he was everything the organization needed. Within four months, they started giving him bigger missions, the most recent included the transfer of a highly classified item to their lab. Dai was accompanied by six other members. The job went smoothly, they didn't get stopped by the police or any other threat they'd need to eliminate. Nevertheless, his head ached for a smoke.

Once the item was safe in the lab, the agent headed to the elevator and rode to the fifth floor. Akemi told him earlier that her sister had reached a breakthrough in her research and asked him to convey her a gift she bought. Shuichi didn't want to do it but he didn't protest since it will make Akemi happy. He felt horrible for using her and didn't need another thing on his conscience especially that Akemi had no other way of getting into the lab. Neither did he if it weren't for the mission, their ranks were too low to move freely through the organization's facilities.

The elevator opened exposing what seemed like a party. People walked around carrying glasses of champagne. They were dressed in white lab coats making Shuichi feel like an outcast with his black clothes. Shuichi held the wrapped box in his hand and joined them. His target would be easy to spot with her reddish hair.

Shiho wasn't there! He spotted a door that led to a balcony instead. Satisfied, Dai walked towards it and got into the dark of the night. He grabbed a cigarette pack from his pocket, lit one of the slim sticks and inhaled it's smoke deeply. Now he felt complete.

(*)

Shiho looked at the crowd gathering in the lab, the hall was almost filled with every staff member that worked with her and they all seemed to enjoy their time. If an outsider were to see them, he would believe they were a normal company.

It was a little party to celebrate her latest results. The drug she's been working on had finally finished the Preclinical Research stage and was now off to progress to clinical Research. She felt suffocated by the air inside she headed towards the balcony.

Sliding the door open, the cold breeze of winter hit her fragile skin. She proceeded to the glass fence putting her weight on it. It was a beautiful starry night after several rainy ones.

Enjoying her first moment of peace after a long day, Shiho closed her eyes and took a deep breath, that's when she heard something that made her jump a little, it was the voice of a man clearing his throat. She looked at its direction and saw a tip of a lit cigarette, and a man hiding behind it, he was barely recognizable under the moonlight.

"Morobochi Dai! What are you doing here?" she asked, puzzled.

"You didn't think I'd miss your little party!" he smiled faintly.

She gave him a fierce look. "How did you know about the celebration? I didn't tell Akemi."

"She knew about the progress in your research and was kind enough to get you this" he held the box in front of her. His green eyes were flickering under the moonlight. Sherry took the box while staring into them before looking down at the box now in her hand.

"You didn't have to bother coming over, I could've-"

"It's okay. I had a job here anyway. And you two won't meet until after four days." he interrupted.

A job! Sherry felt a chill down her spine. She hoped that the kind of jobs her sister's boyfriend does were different from Gin's. She wouldn't like her sister seeing a murderer, but it was nothing to rule out. What else to expect from a criminal organization but to take lives?

"So you came here to bring me this... What are you doing in a dark balcony then?"

"I had to come here for a smoke."

Shiho wondered when he'd quit that thing, She knew it's ripping his lungs apart but didn't care to warn him. She looked down to the box to unwrap it but the sound of the door sliding open interrupted her, this time exposing a man of a tall figure. His hair was as long as Dai's with a silver shade. And again, he fell in the same trap as the previous. He didn't notice Dai standing in the corner.

"Sherry, why are you here? Let's go inside."

"Ah... No Gin, I'm fine here."

"This is your party, you should be inside." Gin examined her for a second. He felt her stiffen. How he hated when she does that! Why can't she be normal around him at least when he's trying to be nice? There was something attractive about it though, Gin loved power and to know that an overbearing woman like Sherry was like wax in his hand felt satisfying to him. _But then Shiho stiffens only when she's done something wrong, did she do something wrong?_ He wondered. "Is something wrong?" his deep voice asked.

"It's nothing, I'm just a little tired... I needed some fresh air."

"How about you come over to my place?" Gin asked with a low voice, taking a step closer and putting a hand on her hip. "I'll make sure to make you relax."

"Gin!" she called, looking uneasy while gently pushing his hand away from her hip, his hand traveled to hold her wrist.

"Come on, it'll be just like last night." He said with his face getting closer to hers "Maybe later we can-"

A voice of a man clearing his throat was heard. Gin stopped in his tracks. He looked at its direction and saw a tip of a lit cigarette. From what he could've distinguished under the poor lighting, it was coming from a tall man. Gin turned and faced him.

"Who the fuck are you?" Gin's voice despite being low was scarier than a shout.

"He's, he's Morobochi Dai! A new member." It was the first time Shuichi meets Gin, and Hearing a woman as sure of herself as Shiho stutter in his presence made him know what to expect.

"And what the fuck are you doing here?" Gin walked to him. His cold eyes pierced through Shuichi's greens.

Shuichi opened his mouth to answer but Shiho beat him to it again. "He's here on a mission."

_Could this be why his Shiho stiffened? Could it be she was cheating on him?_ Gin thought, and this is exactly why Shiho had stiffened. She knew how paranoid her boyfriend was and was scared of his reaction of finding her alone with another man in a dark place. Gin was never the kind to trust, and his extreme jealousy over Shiho has made him question everyone. But what scared Shiho the most was the possibility of Dai finding out she's dating Gin, thus telling Akemi about it. The last thing she needs is her sister finding out about that.

"Let me elaborate…" Gin started calmly, but his voice rose with every word "What are you doing here on the balcony, with her?" He roared without breaking eye contact for a second, which was countered by Shuichi who continued gazing at him calmly. Gin's questions were still addressed to the other man ignoring the fact that Shiho was the one answering.

"I'm here for a smoke" Dai simply answered before tucking the cigarette between his lips again. By that time Gin was standing right in front of him, giving him a look that sends shivers down the spine.

Gin's hand reached for the cigarette stealing it from Shuichi's lips, he threw it on the floor and pressed on it with his shoe.

"Your break is over, you can leave now." He ordered, trying to keep himself calm.

Dai kept gazing back. He felt that if he were to break eye contact he'd lose something important. He calmly reached in his pocket pulling out the pack of cigarettes and started lighting a new one. "I told you I'm here for a smoke. I'll leave when I'm done." His voice was calm and steady.

"Gin, let's just go." Shiho muttered from behind her boyfriend but the two men kept staring at each other as if she didn't exist.

Gin took the second cigarette from Dai's lips and placed it between his lips. He examined Dai's face for a second before swinging his hand and sending a fist right to his stomach. Shuichi felt the fist plow into him smashing his guts and knocking out his breath. It was the kind of punch that would send people to the ground on their backs. He bent down. The agent saw it coming, he might've been able to blocked or attacked back but he preferred not to because Gin was his superior, and getting into a fistfight with your superior on a first meeting wasn't a wise idea to climb the ladder. Making him angry on the other hand seemed so appealing.

The agent's chest gently rose and sank with the shallow breaths he drew in. He straightened up and daringly looked at Gin with a grin that took away his satisfaction.

"Gin stop!" Shiho screamed, holding his formed fist and pulling him back "Please! Let's go to your apartment now, I'm done with this party."

The silver haired man took a step backward "Moroboshi Dai you said? I'll make sure to remember that name."

Shiho walked Gin out with both of her hands wrapped around his arm. She looked over her shoulder one last time examining Dai before leaving the balcony. Shuichi saw her face, her skin was as pale as a sheet and her eyes were wide and glassy. She looked frightened.

The black haired man took a deep breath to compensate what he'd lost, he grabbed the little box from the ground and left. Shiho was so scared she left her gift on the ground. On the way out, he was lucky to find a door with her name written on it. He placed the little box on her desk and left the lab.

* * *

**I just wanted to point out that all chapters are related and need to be read in order for the story to make sense and the relationship to develop properly.**

**Next Chapter: Shiho is so angry at Shuichi. His nonchalant personality doesn't make things easier for her.**

**Until next time, have som****e nice days :)**


	3. Anger

Knock knock.

Shiho pounded on the door. Fires of fury were smoldering in her narrowed eyes as her right foot tapped on the floor impatiently. The first time she meets Moroboshi Dai without the presence of Akemi and he picks a fight with Gin! _That idiot!_ She came here soon as she left Gin's apartment and without letting three seconds pass she knocked again. It was a Saturday morning and she hoped to find him at her sister's.

"Shiho!" Akemi exclaimed when she opened the door.

Shiho's eyes looked over Akemi's shoulder where she spotted Dai sitting on one of the kitchen stools. Just the sight of him made her blood boil. She took a step inside forcing the older to step aside.

"Why didn't you call first? I would've counted you for breakfast."

"It's alright Akemi, I'm not staying here for long." Her blue eyes softened when they landed on the brunette before narrowing again as she walked towards the black haired man.

When she reached him, he slowly turned on the kitchen stool to face her. He was eating an apple and no signs of nervousness appeared on his face.

"Good Morning!" He said, mouth filled with an apple bite.

"To hell with your good morning, are you out of your mind?"

"What!" He plainly asked.

"Do you know who the man from last night was?"

"Alright Shiho, what's going on here?" Akemi asked with a concerned look.

"Ask your boyfriend." The scientist raged looking at Dai who was busy taking another bite from the apple, she looked back at her sister. "He picked a fight with Gin."

Akemi's eyes grew wider before setting on the agent.

"Technically I didn't pick the fight, and I'd appreciate if we don't talk about it."

"How?" The brunette proceeded in demand for more details. _She knew Gin was dangerous so why on earth would her boyfriend pick a fight with him, and more importantly why didn't he tell her?_

"Gin asked him to leave and he-"

"I said I'd appreciate if we don't talk about it." Dai cut her off harshly. Shiho frowned.

"You know what, I was wrong to save your ass. I should've let him kill you."

With a scowl on her face, Shiho turned on her heels and rushed outside the door leaving only the smell of perfume behind. Akemi put a hand on her hip and gave Shuichi a look he knew well, it was interrogation time. He stood up.

"I'll explain later." He quickly said before rushing to the door.

Sherry was the highest-ranked member he knew in the organization and for his infiltration to be successful he'll need her on his side and not against him, so he had to make things right with her. He found the elevators busy so he took the stairs. He spotted her walking outside and a couple of wide paces were enough for him to reach her.

"Hey, I didn't mean to talk to you that way." He said. Shiho sent him a death glare without saying a word thus he went on explaining. "I want my work to be separated from my personal life, I don't want Akemi to be concerned or involved in any way with what I do. I hope you understand that."

Shuichi didn't want to mix work with his personal relationship with Akemi fearing that they'll think she's his accomplice if he ever gets exposed as an FBI agent, so he had to take his precautions.

"I didn't come here to discuss your work. Having your life at risk is a personal matter of which my sister is concerned."

"My life at risk? Because I was trying to have a cigarette?" Shuichi asked unconvinced.

Shiho's eyebrows rose. "So you really don't know who the man was."

"I know! I heard about him." He calmly said. Recalling cigarettes made him crave one, he pulled one from his pocket and lit it.

"Then didn't you hear that he won't hesitate to dispose of anyone that stands in his way?"

Shuichi shrugged, inhaling his cigarette.

"Dai san, you're not aware of how dangerous that man could be. That's why everyone is afraid of him it's not cowardice it's just common sense." Shiho spoke with a serious tone, highlighting to Dai what danger he was facing, she was countered with a calm gaze from his part.

"I'm not scared of him!"

"Then you must lack common sense." She snapped.

"I had enough of it to not hit him back. But if I ever have to, I assure you I will." He replied coolly in an attempt to make up for losing for Gin. Now Shuichi was a man of too much pride and taking that punch without being able to fight back was a stab right into it. He hated it!

The certainty in his voice struck Shiho. She wanted to believe he was joking except that he was deadly serious.

"Let's hope you never do because it will end badly." She warned. The redhead examined his face, suddenly, her expressions turned into amusement. "...Oh, now I know what this is about! Did your little feelings get hurt because Gin had punched you so hard you couldn't breathe?"

Shuichi would lie if he said otherwise.

"Oh believe me, if I wanted to take him I would've" He smirked.

"Then why didn't you?...Oh, I remember, you were too busy figuring out how to stand up straight." She teased.

"Looks like you're very proud of him. Of course, you'd take your boyfriend's side." He smiled.

_Did he just call Gin her boyfriend?_ Shiho's weight shifted from one leg to another nervously. She opened her mouth to respond.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna tell Akemi." Dai said before she could say anything as if he had read her thoughts.

"There's nothing to tell. We're colleagues."

"In his flat? Where he makes you relax like last ni-"

"Alright..." Shiho interrupted, she stayed silent for a while. _There's no way she's escaping this, she better just admit. _She started slowly but confidently. "We.. are.. dating. But it's none of your business, and don't you dare tell Akemi about it." At this point, her index was digging in his chest.

"I said I won't."

Shiho nodded, turning to the side to announce the end of the conversation when she heard Dai speak again.

"Are you afraid of him?"

"What?" She stopped in her tracks and rapidly turned to face him again. And although her face was good at hiding what she felt, one could obviously see astonishment in her eyes. That question she did not expect.

Gin might've scared her sometimes, but she was good at hiding it from everyone, even from Gin himself. Nobody has ever suspected it. And the person in front of her of all people had to not know about it because he could tell Akemi. The last thing she wants is for her sister to worry or worse, to get involved with Gin.

But there he was, Dai asked her what nobody else dared or even thought about asking. He pressed right where it hurts and whether it was by luck, or he knew what was going on? She didn't know.

Shuichi saw how scared Shiho was last night and noticed her stiffen when Gin had approached her. It was not a natural reaction of a romantic partner, it made Shuichi wonder if Gin was forcing her to something. And hearing her say that everyone is afraid of Gin now only confirmed his suspicion, it was his cue to ask.

"You said everyone is, are you?" His green eyes pierced her with a sharp gaze.

"No, Dai san, I'm not!" She answered calmly. "That goes for other members. I'm more than a member to him. Now if you'll excuse me I have to go."

The redhead walked away. _She was wrong, he is not an idiot. This guy is sharper than she'd appreciate so she better be careful around him._

Shuichi hummed. Maybe he was overthinking it. Her and Gin were probably trying to maintain their relationship low-profile and she stiffened because he uncovered it. He discarded the thought and headed back to the apartment where he'll do some explaining to Akemi.

(*)

(4 months later)

Akemi hung up the phone. She left the bedroom and headed back to the living room where her boyfriend sat on the couch. He was watching TV while eating a snack.

She examined him for a moment; Dai looked peaceful with his green eyes focused on the TV blinking from time to time only to be covered by a shield of long dark eyelashes. She doesn't get why people say his gaze is sharp. For her, they were as open and honest as a child.

Dai's left arm was resting on the couch so when Akemi sat next to him, he brought it down and placed it around her neck.

"What is it?"

"What?" Akemi asked innocently.

"I saw you staring at me from the hallway, you seemed like you have something to say."

"Wait when did you…" She wondered, she was pretty sure his eyes didn't deviate from the TV for a second."You know what, never mind… Dai kun, you have a mission."

"Reiji didn't mention a new mission." Dai's eyes finally moved from the TV and looked her.

Reiji was Dai's direct superior in the organization. After 8 months of infiltration he was still so low in rank he didn't get to work under a member with an alcoholic codename. He was doing very well and sometimes it frustrated him. But then if there's anything that Shuichi mastered, it's being patient. He knew how careful the organization was so it was expected that it won't be fast to dive deep.

"It's not Reiji, its Shiho. She's supposed to receive something from our mole in another pharmaceutical company. The thing is, they're our biggest competitor of pharmaceutical research and they're shady, so they might do something." Akemi explained.

"And where's my place in all of this?"

"Her bodyguard was hurt on a separate mission and Gin and vodka are outside the country, she was looking for someone else to accompany her and I suggested that you go."

"I can't." Shuichi discarded the matter immediately, looking back at the TV.

"Why?" she squeaked.

"Because Reiji might call me anytime."

"But Dai kun..."

"You don't have to worry about her. She's very important to them they'll surely provide her with the best man to protect her." He reassured.

"And I want that man to be you." Dai wanted to protest but Akemi continued "Please Dai kun, she's my only family and I can't think of anyone else to trust more than you to protect her."

He let out a long sigh. "…Alright, Akemi, I'll do it."

The brunette smiled, she rested her head on his chest in a hug. "Thank you" she whispered.

Dai's lips pressed against her hair in a soft kiss.

* * *

**Next Chapter: Shuichi and Shiho go on a mission together, but what could possibly go wrong?**

**75aichan and Guest, Thank you so much for your reviews.**


	4. The mission

At 9 pm sharp, A Chevy was parked outside Sherry's apartment. Shuichi was leaning against its door with a cigarette tucked between his lips. He spotted the redhead coming towards him with her usual arrogant strut and an unusual dress for her taste. The low neck dress tracked her curvy hips that fit perfectly under the silk fabric. When she reached him, he cocked an eyebrow.

"You look nice!"

"Don't sugar talk me Moroboshi, I know you didn't want to do this with me."

"If I knew you'd be dressed like that, I wouldn't have protested."

"And if I knew my sister's boyfriend will be hitting on me, I wouldn't have called."

They both smiled simultaneously.

Shuichi moved his back from the car, he turned and opened the door to the passenger's seat and gestured Shiho to get in. He then turned around, hopped onto the driver's seat and started the car.

"Fill me in." Shuichi said.

"Haru Asahi has been a researcher for another pharmaceutical company for three years. He's our guy in there and he reported that the drug they're working on is finally complete. We're going to meet him now and he's going to give us a sample of the new drug. We take it and leave."

"Sounds easy."

"One more thing, you shouldn't stay with me once inside. We don't want him to be uncovered so it'll be better if I go see him alone while you watch us from another table"

(*)

Sherry walked inside the bar carefully and took a seat on one of the stools. Dai was right behind her when they got in but he went his separate way once inside.

She examined her surroundings. The place looked fancy, men were dressed in suits and attire, not the typical thought she had of a bar. Just when she was about to order a drink, Haru appeared and placed his hand on hers.

"Honey, sorry I kept you waiting. Come with me."

Sherry stood up and followed him. _So they were going to play a couple_. She was thankful Gin wasn't accompanying her, otherwise he would've blown his cover and broke Haru's jaw already.

Haru sat and she took a seat across from him. He placed his elbow on the table bringing his head closer to hers and supporting it with his palm.

"You look beautiful, Sherry." He murmured with a smile.

Shiho mimicked his posture, bringing their faces closer. "Why don't you cut to the chase, Haru?" she smiled back.

For one who didn't listen, he'd think they're lovers.

"Let us at least get a drink first, I already ordered a bottle of Sherry especially for you."

Haru started pouring her a drink from the Sherry bottle, his glass was already filled with a shot of scotch. Shiho sighed. She was just hoping to get the sample and leave but a drink won't hurt. The man across from her held his cup and she did the same.

"To achievements" he said.

Their glasses clicked hitting one another, she drew hers closer to take a sip but before it could touch her lip, she felt a hand taking the glass away. Sherry gaped when she saw that same hand pour the content of her glass over Haru's head who placed his hand on his hair in shock.

Dai calmly put the empty sherry glass on the table. Shiho was still trying to process what happened when she felt his hand on her elbow forcing her to stand up. When she did, his fingers tracked down her skin swiftly landing on her hand and holding it firmly. He dragged her out of the bar in silence, opened the door to the passenger's seat of his Chevy, gently pushed her inside and closed it before appearing on the driver seat.

Soon as he sat she started. "What did you do?"

"Saved you."

"What are you talking about? We didn't get the sample."

"There was no sample to begin with. I heard his partners talking in the bathroom, they were planning to drug you with that Sherry you were about to drink and use you to give them a glimpse on your research. Haru was their accomplice."

"Haru's a double agent!"

"You damn right he is."

Shiho swallowed hard. Most of her work was done in the lab and she rarely got caught up in action like this. She looked behind her and noticed two cars she remembered seeing parked in front of the bar.

"They're tracking us." She said with her face looking at the rearwindow, Dai didn't respond so she turned to face him. "The two black cars, they're tracking us."

"I know." He replied. "Shiho, I'm going to leave my seat now, you're going to take it and continue driving. I'll shoot at them from-"

"No no no, I don't know how to drive." Sherry shook her head.

Shuichi frowned. _She knows how to create drugs and doesn't know how to drive! _

With no choice left but to continue, Dai Wobbled dangerously in and out of traffic almost crashing into a truck, the sound of the loud warning of its horn made Shiho want to scream. She heard the tires squeal with every turn they took, their speed would slow a little only to be sped up more. She could see a red light at the end of the road, but Dai kept his speed constant. By the time they reached it the Chevy's speed was over 100 km/ph, they almost collided with another car if it weren't to abruptly press the brakes. She checked the rearview mirror, the two cars were still trailing them.

Sherry had enough. If they didn't die from the men behind them they'll end up dying in a car crash.

"Give me your gun, I'll do the shooting." She finally broke the silence.

"No." His answer was so fast indicating that it was out of the question.

If Shuichi were to make the shot, it would only be a threat to make them stop. But if he gave his gun to Sherry -a member of the organization- she'd probably kill someone, which was the least he wanted to happen as an FBI agent.

"What do you mean no?" Her brows furrowed.

"Your sister sent me to unsure your protection not to let you do the shooting."

His words gave her a sense of being dominated and she didn't like it. Gin taught her everything about guns and shooting so what's the point if she didn't put it into practice now that they're both in danger?

"I don't care what my sister told you. You're here to protect me and if you don't give me the gun right now, we'll both end up dead in a car accident."

Just when she finished they took a sudden U-turn that made her bite her tongue. She cursed him. He continued driving ignoring her. When she realized he wasn't going to give it to her, she decided to find it herself. She searched the glove compartment but it wasn't there.

"Where's the gun?" Shiho asked.

Dai focused on the road not bothering to answer her. She felt angry. Her slender fingers reached for the jacket on him searching every pocket for the gun. When she couldn't find it there, she brought them down to his waist, soon as she touched him there, he spoke.

"Enough!"

"Give me the gun."

Shuichi pushed the engine to the limit with it going at the fastest speed. He thought he could escape with his driving skills but the men behind him were just as skilled. At this rate, they'll catch them. He was starting to feel cornered. He couldn't possibly give Sherry the gun and allow her to kill someone but he couldn't continue driving either. Thick drops of sweat came down his forehead and Sherry didn't make it any easier.

"Give me the damn gun." She yelled, starting to lose her temper.

"No, take the wheel."

"I told you I don't know how to drive."

"You're not gonna drive, just keep us straight and don't let us crash into something, I have my foot on the gas." He said with a soft voice. Dai stole a moment to look at her. "Can you do it?"

Shiho nodded, she took a deep breath and did as he said. Her heart was trembling inside her chest, this is the most intense moment of her life along with the two times she had Gin's gun to her head.

Shuichi brought the gun inserted in the waist of his pants and aimed at the car behind them. His sharp gaze pierced their opponent.

"Hurry!" Shiho rushed.

"It's not helping when you say that."

He took in a deep breath, one, two, three, boom.

He shot, and it was just centimeters away from the driver's head causing him to suddenly lose control. The car tottered and ended up hitting a tree on the side road damaging the other one behind it.

The chase was finally over. They won. Now Shiho didn't own him anymore because after she'd saved his ass from Gin, he saved hers from those men. Now they're even.

Shuichi took the wheel back. He slowed their speed and took a turn at the next intersection before stopping the car. He turned to the side to examine his partner who let out a breath of relief.

"You okay?" He gently asked fixing his eyes on her.

"I... that was intense." Shiho answered, looking ahead. Just minutes ago they had their lives on the stake and she needed time to process it.

"Then I take it you're not used to going on missions like these."

"Not much... Are you?"

Shiho turned his way. She found him searching for a cigarettes in the pack. Shuichi lit one before turning to her again. His gaze rose slowly greeting her with the full force of his smoky dark green eyes. Every time she meets him in a place with low lighting they glowed in their own way. Their green shade was rare and distinguished, at day, they were sharp and intense, but at night they were soft and beautiful she'd look into them for hours.

"They don't let me work in the lab, Sherry. These jobs are all I do."

Sherry continued staring into his eyes, Dai was anticipating her to say something but she didn't. After a little while, he turned his face to the wheel in front of him. Realizing that the situation was getting awkward, Shiho blushed and turned ahead.

"Gin will kill Haro soon as he comes back to Japan." She said, in hope of starting a new topic. Dai retrieved driving again.

"Probably."

They both stayed silent for a while. None of them was the talking type and they always had few words to say so silence wasn't really an awkward situation between them. Sherry drowned into her thoughts for some time before speaking again.

"Dai san, I think I did the right thing by bringing you along with me tonight. To be honest I'm not sure my bodyguard would've handled this."

"Is this your way of thanking me?" He asked with a smug expression. Shiho was never a fan of that cocky look of his.

"Anyways," She continued, ignoring what he said. "Would you like to be my bodyguard?"

When Shuichi started his infiltration, he had a goal in mind. He wanted to learn sensitive Intel, to capture important members, he wanted the organization wrecked. But the 8 months he spent were a disappointment. He was aspiring for more and knew that if he waited long enough he'll get his breakthrough especially for a man with his skills. He wanted to reach deep and being a bodyguard will only keep him in the shallow. The agent breathed into his cigarette.

"Do you know why I didn't want to do this with you? It's because I'm not bodyguarding material, it's restraining. I already have my work with Reiji and I like it."

"I see." Shiho looked out the window disappointed.

"If you wear more dresses like this one on the other hand." He smirked, eyes on the road.

"Pervert." She hissed.

"Relax, I'm just messing with you." He smiled "...Well, you still have your boyfriend to protect you."

"Let's not talk about him anymore." Shiho said annoyed. The fact that he knew about her dating Gin doesn't make it fine to discuss it with her. _The redhead snorted in her mind, Gin as a protector? He is the person she needs protection from. If only she could say._

"May I ask why you're keeping this from Akemi? I thought you two tell each other everything, at least I know she does."

"You may not, And don't you da-"

"Dare tell her... yeah I know" His husky voice interrupted.

(*)

It was a long day in the lab. Just when she thought ending preclinical research was an achievement, clinical phase proved to be harder.

Shiho was as usual late home. It was 11 pm and she felt exhausted, all she wanted to do was to shower and collapse on the bed and sleep. She got inside and closed the door behind her before throwing her body on the first couch she encountered.

She stared at the ceiling for a minute. The figure of Moroboshi Dai tickled her imagination replaying the day they escaped death. Only two days had passed so the memory was so vivid in her mind.

It was then that the door was knocked stealing her from her train of thoughts. Shiho knew well who to expect, who else would come to her at 11 pm without an invitation except for him? The scientist sat up cursing her luck, _why does he always come at the worst times?_

"Gin." She said.

"Hello sweetheart." He grinned. "Can I come in?"

Shiho stepped back inviting him silently although she wanted to close the door in his face and go to sleep. He sat on the couch where she was lying.

"So you're back from the trip!" She noted.

"Just now, how was your weekend?"

"It was fine. Do you want something to drink?"

"No nothing. Just come here, sit next to me." Gin said tapping the spot on the couch next to him. Shiho did as told. "I missed you so much."

Just when he finished his sentence he leaned forward and kissed her. His kiss was as demanding as his voice. After a while, he pulled back.

"I heard you got into some action."

"Yeah, If Dai san didn't hear Haru's accomplices speaking by chance it would've ended badly."

"What matters is that you're okay." He smiled and handed her a bag. "I brought you something from Paris."

Shiho opened the paper bag exposing a Chanel purse inside. It looked elegant and suited her taste. But she felt something was off, _Gin was acting unusually nice. What is he planning?_

"Thanks, although it's not like you to bring me gifts."

"I figured I should take more care of you since I realized I had competition."

"What competition?"

"That Moroboshi guy, he seems like your type, Sherry." The threatening grin took over his face again, now he was the Gin she knew.

"Moroboshi?" Shiho laughed. "What made you think he's my type?"

"I know what you like."

"Well, now that you mention it, he would've suited me. Too bad he's seeing someone else." Shiho replied sarcastically. Gin gazed at her intently. "It's called sarcasm, in case you didn't know."

"You think this is something to joke about?" He asked earnestly. Gin placed a hand on her shoulder bringing her face closer to his. "You really do like him do you?"

"Gin, he's my sister's boyfriend."

"That doesn't deny what I said. If you think I didn't know what you both were doing on the balcony the other day-"

"You're being paranoid again!" Shiho's voice rose. "I told you he's my sister's boyfriend for God's sake."

Shiho was sick of it. Gin's possessive nature made him suspect everything. He's hurt men before just because he thought they had a connection with her when they truly didn't. He was so jealous it suffocated her, too possessive he made his own scenarios of her cheating whenever she met another man. Sherry feared that he might target Dai next, She won't forgive herself if Gin hurts the man her sister loves.

Gin glared at her intensely. "Don't-you-raise-your-voice-at-me." He warned.

His eyes were slowly reddening. Shiho broke away from his scary gaze and nodded.

"... I'm going to sleep now. Would you leave?" She said with a low voice.

"I'll go. But if I ever hear you're fooling around behind my back, you can only blame yourself for what happens next."

Gin said his words then walked away.

"Fuck you Gin" Shiho whispered.

* * *

**Next chapter: Shuichi finally gets his breakthrough mission, but it comes with a price.**

**I hope you enjoyed reading.**


	5. First kill

Sometimes we don't know what's best for us; what we want might end up breaking us and what we avoid might end up pushing us higher. This exact thing happened to Shuichi who didn't want to go on a bodyguarding mission that he thought had no gain for his infiltration, but his success ended up making him a name in the organization. He was the man that saved their cherished high ranked member with the use of his shrewdness and excellent driving and sharpshooting abilities. It's only been a month since that incident but his name was already recognized among other members.

Shuichi stopped his car in front of a warehouse. The place looked gloomy and abandoned but it didn't prevent him from going inside where Reiji was anticipating him.

"Here he is, the man of the hour." Reiji rejoiced from his seat.

Dai walked in carefully. He looked around in search for the other five members Reiji led. Usually, they meet in this place to have their missions explained to them but no one else was there. The agent kept walking steadily towards his leader.

"Where's everyone?" Dai asked.

"Today, there's only the two of us."

_Now that's unusual!_ The thought that they uncovered his identity crossed the agent's mind, but that would be impossible. He didn't leave any traces behind and he was so careful all the time. But why would Reiji call a meeting for them alone except for the purpose of killing him? Shuichi was eager to find out.

When he reached him, he took a seat on the other chair. "And what's that about?"

"You know Dai, I've been part of this community for 7 years but I got promoted to this position only 2 years ago."

Shuichi stared at him. If it took Reiji 5 years just to become a leader with no alcoholic name, how long will it take him to reach deep? Will he be infiltrating this organization until he retires? Will he lose all his youth in the dark with a fake name and an identity that is not his?

"I still remember it like yesterday." The older man continued with a nostalgic look on his face. "I was ordered to kill a man, didn't even know his name and honestly didn't care at the time. It was the mission to guarantee me ascending the ranks and all I cared about was to accomplish it."

Dai lit a cigarette and attentively listened to Reiji go on.

"I followed him for days and when the time was right and I caught him in the right place, I stepped in. It was dark and people barely passed from that street, so when I held my gun to the back of his head and threatened to shoot him, he showed no resistance and followed me to the alleyway. Once there, I wasted no time and sent a bullet to his head and left."

Reiji's eyes pierced through Shuichi's greens. He looked proud of his doing and it made Shuichi sick.

"If you called me here to tell me your youth stories then I have more important things to do." Dai said. He threw the cigarette on the floor as the man across from him smiled faintly.

"I like you Dai! I knew you were good since the first mission assigned to you, that's why I'm not surprised that your chance came much earlier than me. You've been with us for what now? 9 months? But the higher-ups already assigned you your breakthrough mission, you do it right and you get to lead your own people like me."

With eyes filled with interest and a small grin that played on his lips, Dai placed his elbows on his knees. "Tell me more!"

(*)

Dai swallowed hard. Three hours have passed since he went to the warehouse during which Reiji never left his side. He drove him to an abandoned building and they went up the stairs to the rooftop where he found a pack of sniping equipment ready for him.

That was the organization's way to ensure loyalty; In order to promote members to leaders, they had to kill so that they make sure no one could think of running away or telling on them, seeing that they'd be involved deep already after committing murder.

The target they were anticipating was the traitor Haru Asahi who disappeared a month ago after the incident, but recently the info that he was going to visit the labs of the other pharmaceutical company surfaced.

Dai walked back and forth restlessly. From the look on his face you could tell he wasn't feeling okay. His face was chalk white and his lips were pale. Shuichi felt nauseous as his heart hammered inside his chest. He wanted to turn around and leave but he couldn't risk being uncovered, Reiji will kill him if he does. He needed this to get a higher rank, he needed this to make them stop.

To take a life of a man, that's not what he signed for when he joined the FBI. He wanted to save lives not to take them. But now he was cornered, Reiji didn't spare him any time alone, he couldn't contact the FBI and ask them to set up something to prevent this. His only way out was to do the shot. Even if he didn't it won't make a difference because they must have another sniper on some other rooftop to do it, he just knew they always have a backup plan.

"He's here." Reiji signaled, looking through his field glasses.

"Alright, let's do this." Dai said impassively. He walked to the sniper rifle he'd already set up to face the lab and laid on the ground. He placed his target on his scope and started following his movement. When he placed his finger on the trigger, he found that his hand was shaking. Will he even be able to do it as accurately as usual with his shaky hands?

Shuichi has never taken a life before, how will he feel after this? Will he be able to live with himself? He's already feeling terrible before doing it so how will it be after?

"Are you gonna lay down there all day?" Reiji said impatiently.

"I'm waiting for the right moment like you did."

It was a wonder that his voice didn't betray him. He looked calm as the night despite what he felt inside. Dai tightened his finger on the trigger. He stared at Haru for a second, he was standing up, moving his hand, he was blinking and his chest rose and sank as he breathed, who was he to deprive him of all this? How could they deprive people of what God has given them?

When Reiji cleared his throat he couldn't postpone it any longer. Dai's finger pressed the trigger and the shot landed right on Haru's head penetrating his skull and splashing blood all over the wall behind him as he laid down motionless. At that time, Shuichi's stomach rolled more and he felt like he was going to vomit right away.

He pulled himself together and put on his usual poker face before turning to face Reiji who was clapping. "Congratulations Dai. That was a good shot, it's a shame you won't be on my team anymore."

"You can join my team if you want." He managed to say before leaving the roof. He heard Reiji snort from behind him as he followed him downstairs.

"Alright kid, from now on you no longer report to me. You'll be working under another member and you report to him."

Reiji took the habit of addressing Dai by kid seeing that the latter was the youngest in his team -which was not appreciated by the agent who found it really irritating, but later he discovered that Reiji only meant it endearingly for Dai was the best member he had.

"Which member?"

"Executive member, codename Gin… You heard about him?"

Dai's eyes grew wider for a second before a stoic expression took over his face again.

"Yeah, I actually met him once."

"You're going to meet him again now."

The long-haired man turned towards Reiji questionably.

"We're meeting him at the lab to introduce you."

"Why the lab?" Dai asked. Most of the meetings took place in a warehouse so the question made sense.

"I don't know, he's dating some scientist that works there so he likes calling his meetings in the lab. You know the saying, hit two birds with one stone"

The two men left the building and walked to Reiji's car. Just when Dai was about to go in, Reiji placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're a loss to my team Dai. Good luck with your new work and be careful."

Dai nodded his head and went in. Reiji showed up from the driver seat door.

"Aren't you gonna ask me for some tips before the meeting?" the older man smirked.

"Tell me." Dai said in the most uninterested tone.

"You don't seem to care."

Shuichi was looking out of the car window. He wasn't in the mood to mess around with Reiji. He would usually care to gather any information and ask about every little detail. But at the time he was not feeling good. He finally looked away from the window and eyed his former boss from the corner of his eye.

"You gotta be careful kid, Gin is not me to keep up with your ways. With him, you have got to listen to what he says and do it precisely, don't make decisions by yourself. Don't make him angry like you do to me. He's got a real bad temper." Reiji said with a glimpse of worry in his voice. Dai was the best member he ever had but along with that, he was the most introverted, mysterious, lone wolf he met. He was the most risk-taking, disobeyer that acted on his own. He never thought he'd like these qualities in a subordinate but he ended up being the closest of all to him. But Reiji knew for sure that Gin won't appreciate any of these qualities, so he had to warn him.

Shuichi turned to the window again. He did not want to meet Gin, just wanted to stay somewhere alone in silence. He could already see how terrible he will feel as the memory will come back and play on his mind over and over again like a broken record. It will only repeat, he could tell, the blood all over the wall, the dead body. It's already being repeated in his mind and he felt the urge to throw up again.

Is there anything that could help him ease this pain? Probably not, he can't show it to anyone from the people around him and even if he meets his colleagues from the FBI, he'll only feel shame for what he did. He's a murderer!

The car stopped in the lab's parking lot. The two men got out and walked towards a black Porsche parked a couple of steps away. Two other men dressed in black stepped out of the Porsche.

"Gin, this is Morobo-" Reiji started before getting interrupted.

"Moroboshi Dai... Yeah I know him, we met before." Gin grinned. Shuichi gave him a glassy look. Half his brain wasn't in there, he was feeling seriously sick and needed to use the bathroom. "Told you I'll remember your name and I kept my promise. Soon as I heard about your work I asked to have you work for me. I believe you're a talented man and that shouldn't go to waste."

Reiji looked at Gin with raised eyebrows, he never saw him praising anyone before except that his voice and face did not match what he was saying. His voice sounded threatening and his face looked intimidating. Reiji turned to Dai who simply nodded with a pale face.

"Vodka." Gin signaled his subordinate who handed Dai a phone. "You contact me only through that phone, my number is saved in it."

The silver haired man said before turning on his heels and getting in his car, Vodka followed him and soon after, their car burned rubber.

"I'm telling you, I don't like the look on his face." Reiji started. "You better be careful around him Kid, seems like you spark more hate in him."

"I will, Reiji." Dai said looking at the car that drove away before turning to face the other man. "I need to use the bathroom."

"Don't take long, it's been a long day I wanna go home."

Shuichi walked towards the lab entrance. He asked the lady in the reception for the bathroom and followed her instruction in search for it. He opened the first door that encountered him, went inside a stall and let it all out.

There was something inside of him, he felt something heavy, a bad feeling that's gonna stick with him for long and he won't be able to get it out of his system easily by throwing up, a feeling deep inside his chest and all over his brain.

Shuichi got out of the stall. He stared at his reflection as he washed his hands. He needs to be strong and continue, he needs to make them stop. He lowered his head and splashed it violently with water in the hope of waking up from what he hoped was a nightmare but wasn't. The vibration inside his pocket brought him back to reality. It was a text from Reiji rushing him to come back. Shuichi dried his face and left the bathroom.

When he stepped into the hallway, a scent of jasmine came from behind him, it was the perfume that Shiho wears. He turned to meet her eyes directly.

"Did you just come out of the ladies restroom?" Shiho asked, a bit confused.

Shuichi glanced at the door he just came out from. The sign of a girl in a dress was big and clear. How is he supposed to explain this now?

He looked to the side and then turned to face her again. _Wait, was he nervous? This is the first time Shiho sees any signs of nervousness on him._

"I didn't see it. Don't you work on the fifth floor?"

Shiho took a step forward with her chin up ignoring his attempt to change the subject. "I knew you were a pervert! My poor sister, she doesn't know what she's getting involved with." She said, although she knew it wasn't true after knowing him for so long.

She waited for him to fire back like he usually does. Every time they met they bantered each other and she always enjoyed his quick comebacks, but this time he just looked at the floor. Something was off about him.

"I should go." He said. For Dai to let her win without a comeback, that was weird!

Sherry was a scientist, so she had the ability to notice health-related changes in people. She noted Dai's pale skin and his lips that lost all color.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine, see you around" He mumbled before turning on his heels and leaving.

Shiho examined him as he walked away, his head was tilted down and he seemed to be deep in thought. That was not the cocky walk she was used to. It was the first time she sees him like that.

Gin visited her earlier and told her that he's recruiting Dai to work under him and that he sent him on a trial mission to kill someone. She could've sworn she saw pain in Dai's eyes. But why would any of those people in black feel pain for others? Why would they care? Don't they all enjoy killing? Then why was Dai looking pained? Did he actually feel remorse? Could it be he's one of the good guys? Could he be a mole that's trying to infiltrate the organization? Would he help her and her sister get out of it?

Remembering Gin receiving a call stating that Dai ended Haru's life with a shot to the head, Shiho discarded the absurd thought. If he were to be a good guy he'd never kill anyone. Even if his shade was a bit lighter, he still belongs to the dark spectrum like the others.

* * *

**Next chapter: Shuichi disappears and Akemi gets worried. Shiho finds him in a bad condition and discovers the reason behind it.**

**Hope you enjoy!**


	6. Comfort hug

It was finally Sunday so Shiho could meet Akemi. They took a habit of visiting restaurants where they'd treat themselves with a nice meal and enjoy long conversations to make up for what they missed the rest of the week. Shiho texted Akemi a day ahead to ask which restaurant they should visit but Akemi responded that she wants to have dinner at her own apartment. Shiho found it strange for Akemi to break their long-running ritual, but since she was going to spend time with her sister she didn't care.

The redhead knocked on the door and it didn't take long for the brunette to respond.

"Hey!" Shiho greeted.

"Hey, come in."

"I brought us some wine." The youngest signaled to the bottle in her hand. She proceeded to the living room placing it on the coffee table.

"That's great! I ran out of wine yesterday."

Shiho just smiled, Akemi took a seat beside her.

"I'm starting to regret we didn't go to a restaurant because I'm starving. And to be honest, I don't trust your cooking skills."

"Good thing you won't have to worry about that. I ordered us pizza, it should be here any minute." Akemi said.

Shiho looked unimpressed. She could be in a fancy restaurant eating some fancy dish now, but instead, she's having pizza –which is not bad, just not what she'd expected.

"What?" Akemi looked innocently. "I don't trust my cooking skills either, I didn't want to take the risk."

"Alright, alright… So…" Shiho said enthusiastically. "Tell me what's new with you?"

"Nothing." The older sighed.

The redhead couldn't help but notice Akemi's strange behavior. Akemi was the most cheerful person she knew, always keeping a smile on her face, she had a bubbly personality that spread joy around her. This time though, her smiles didn't look genuine and she looked drained of energy despite her attempt to hide it. That truly worried Shiho, yes she was the youngest but she was always the more mature and felt responsible for protecting her sister.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

" I'm good, I'm fine!" Akemi smiled weakly.

"…You don't look fine, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing!"

"Akemi, you refused to go to a restaurant, you're wearing pajamas and didn't brush your hair and look... you have eye bags under your eyes, you're starting to look like Dai san." Shiho giggled when she noticed the resemblance, but seeing Akemi's serious expression wiped the smile off her face. "…It's him! That's what's wrong."

Akemi sighed. Her hands fidgeted as she took a moment to decide whether to tell her sister or not, she didn't want her to worry.

"I… I don't know Shiho! He suddenly changed. He hasn't come to my apartment in a week, whenever I call him I find voice mail and even when it rings he won't pick up, he barely replies to my texts… I mean… he just got promoted so he's supposed to be happy and we're supposed to share that together but instead, he cut me off entirely."

"Well, he must have his reasons. Did you guys have a fight?"

"No! That's what I don't get, nothing happened." Akemi stayed silent for a while before adding. "Do you think he found another girl?"

"That's ridiculous! You've been together for a year now, he can't just find another woman and leave. I don't think he's that kind of guy." Shiho placed a hand on her sister's. "I'm sure he has his reasons Akemi. Just be patient, he'll come back to you soon."

(*)

After sharing pizza and chatting for a while, Shiho called her driver. She got in the car and he started driving without asking for the destination. He already knew; Shiho drives from her apartment to the lab and back every day. Sometimes he picks her up from Gin's apartment, other than that she meets her sister every Sunday then head home afterward, that was the routine.

Sherry looked out of the window in thought. She managed to distract Akemi for a while but she knew that after she left, her sister returned to her sadness. Akemi wasn't her usual self, she lost her glow and cheerfulness because of the stupid Moroboshi guy. 'I don't think he's that kind of guy' tch, that was bullshit. She said it to make her feel better but she didn't believe it. What could possibly make a man leave his woman for so long? Gin leaves her when Vermouth's around and Dai is no different. All men are the same, no, all men that work for the organization are the same, they're all selfish pricks.

The thought of him hurting Akemi provoked her protectiveness senses, Shiho felt compelled to make things right.

"I'm not heading home." She said to the driver before uttering Dai's address. She had it fresh in mind after he'd hosted one of the Sunday dinners with her and Akemi at his apartment.

(*)

Shiho arrived at Dai's apartment. She knocked on his door several times without a response. Just when she lost hope and decided to leave, the door cracked open exposing her sister's boyfriend. He was wearing a black T-shirt and pajama pants.

"Shiho!" He looked at her in surprise.

"Can I come in? I need to talk to you about something."

"Sure!" The agent stepped to the side allowing her to go in, he closed the door and joined her in the living room.

Shiho sat on an armchair and him on a couch. The redhead didn't waste any time.

"I only came here because I know you're good at keeping secrets, so I hope Akemi won't know about me coming here." Her voice tone became authoritative as she continued "Now what's it with you? Why'd you stop talking to her?"

"I will call her." Dai talked casually as if nothing was wrong, it annoyed her.

"What about the last week?"

"I didn't get a chance."

"For an entire week, you couldn't spare five minutes to give her a call? What were you doing anyway except sitting your ass on that couch?"

"I… really couldn't call, I don't." His tone indicated that the two last words were a sentence although they didn't make sense. Dai's brows were raised and his eyes were a bit widened. For the first time, Shiho could see what Akemi describes, his greens were really innocent at that moment, just like a child's.

"Are you drunk?" She asked, eyeing the bottle of bourbon on the coffee table that only had a quarter left.

"No." He blinked once, twice "Maybe?"

Shiho sighed. Maybe this will make things easier, now he'll let her know what she needs to know instead of being his normal mysterious introverted self. And without beating around the bush, she went for it straight.

"Are you cheating on Akemi?"

He looked at her startled. "What? No!"

"Then why is it that you've changed? You just got promoted, if anything you should be celebrating instead of closing in on yourself here."

Dai grabbed the bottle of bourbon and took three generous sips not caring to answer her. He really didn't want to talk to anyone and now he's fed up with talking to her.

Sherry stared at him thinking what could possibly make him act this way, it didn't take her long to find an answer.

"Is it Gin? Did he do something to you?"

Dai shook his head. "He hadn't contacted me yet."

"Then what? Is it Haru? Is it because you killed him?"

With eyes locked on hers, Dai took some continuous sips from the bottle.

"What, Really?" Shiho exclaimed. Realizing what it was about, she stood up. It was a ridiculous reason for him to act this way, at least now she knows he'll be back soon so problem solved. The side of her lips lifted in a mocking smile "Oh please! Why would you feel it for this guy from all people? You've been working with us for 9 months so you're used to it. Just stop acting like a drama queen and call your girlfriend. Soon enough you'll be enjoying that work."

"You don't know me, so don't you say that about me!" Dai warned. His eyes narrowed and he suddenly looked as sober as a judge.

"You've killed plenty of people before so why do you care now?" Shiho lashed out.

Shuichi looked to the side escaping her gaze, that's when she came to the realization.

"Is it… Is it the first time you kill someone?" Her voice became low and hesitant.

His answer came in the form of sipping again from the bottle in his hand. He then placed it on the table and aimed to stand up. "I'm going to sleep now. Tell Akemi that I'll call her." When he managed to lift his weight, he fell back into the couch with everything swaying around him like a mirror maze.

Shiho stared at him. He was different after all, he felt guilt, he had a good side in him, he had mercy. He was not a complete sociopath like the other people she dealt with. He could help her and Akemi out, she hoped. But then if he's like that what brought him into their world in the first place? Could the absurd thought she had last week of him being with the police be true?

The scientist took two steps and sat next to him on the couch.

"Look, Dai san, if you don't like doing that then I'm not sure if working for Gin will suit you, he's in charge of assassinations so every time he calls you, you'll have to take a life. You can stop that now, you can leave and take Akemi with you."

Dai shook his head.

"I don't understand. Why do you want to stay and do something against your morals?" Her eyes pierced him. He didn't say a thing so she voiced her thoughts. "Unless you're with the police and trying to infiltrate the organization... Are you?"

"You watch a lot of movies." He slurred. "Who said it's against my morals? If it were I wouldn't have done it in the first place" He finally looked at her before attempting to stand up again, this time he succeeded. Even if he was drunk he had to protect his identity from being exposed, he was trained for it.

The agent tottered his way towards the bedroom, but half the way through he lost his balance. Shiho rushed for his rescue and gained him balance just before he fell down, Dai's arm crawled on her shoulder so she found herself forced to walk him to the bedroom.

"Even if you did it, doesn't mean that you liked it." She pointed out.

"I'll get used to it."

"Why would you force yourself to get used to something like that?"

"You seem to be so opposed to that thing yourself. Now how do I know you're not the one with the police infiltrating our organization?"

"Maybe the fact that I was raised inside it since I was a baby." By that time, they reached the bedroom, Shiho sat him on the bed and stepped away. The bedroom was all dark, a perfect place to crawl in bed and sleep his intoxication. The only light source was the faint light coming through the door. "Whatever your motive is. Just know that what happened with Haru will keep on repeating over and over… Believe me, that's all that Gin does!"

The memory of Haru visited Shuichi. Ever since he did it the pictures kept hunting him again and again and again. The blood on the wall, the motionless body, Haru's open eyes. He could see them so vividly as if he was looking through the rifle's scope. They were torturing him everyday depriving him of sleep. He wasn't a good sleeper to begin with but his insomnia worsened after the promotion. For the entire week, he didn't sleep at all except the times he lost consciousness from drinking.

Shiho looked at him, despite the low lighting she could see his face. Maybe he thought that she couldn't see him in the dark and decided to lose his poker face, or maybe he just couldn't control himself anymore, but Dai for the first time exposed all of the pain he hid behind his stoic expressions, he looked as if on the verge of crying. Without thinking, Shiho found herself sitting down and taking him into a hug. It was the first time she sees him like this, he was broken, he was wrecked, she just felt like she had to do it.

Dai's arms enveloped her fast as if her hug was the cure to his pain. All this time he needed someone to lean on but couldn't find anyone, but now she came. He buried his face in the crook between her shoulder and neck "I'm a murderer!" the husky voice whispered in her shirt.

Shiho didn't know what to say, she just placed a hand on the back of his head running it through his long hair. For a moment, she felt her heart tighten when he clenched her shirt in pain. She could feel just how awful he felt. Guilt! Something is definitely wrong with her for admiring him because he felt that. It was a non-existent feeling in her entourage but Dai was now suffering because of it.

Recalling Gin's hugs and his ruthless ways, and this hug with Dai, she could feel a big difference. This is the first real hug she gets from a man with feelings, it felt warm, not only physically but it made her warm on the inside too, a feeling she couldn't explain. She rested her head on his hoping to ease his pain but not so long after, the green eyed man pulled back as if he was suddenly backed to his senses.

"Can you go?" His voice was weak.

"I-"

"Please!"

Shiho didn't need to be told twice.

(*)

"To what do I owe the pleasure of Sherry inviting me to her lab?" Dai asked.

It was a beautiful sunny day. Dai slept his intoxication and woke up to a text from Shiho inviting him to meet her. By the time he headed to see her he was still suffering from hangover symptoms, but Shiho specified the time in her text so he had no choice but to go.

"Can't I invite you for a cup of coffee?" She looked at him from her desk before standing up.

"You could, but since I know you better I'm sure there's more to it than that." Dai spoke confidently as if yesterday had never happened.

Satisfied, Shiho smiled. "Alright, you got me. I asked you to come here because I didn't want Akemi to know we're meeting."

"And?"

"I don't think you should work with Gin!"

"Well, too bad you don't have a saying in that." He said, picking up a tube on her desk.

"Don't touch that." Sherry warned looking at the tube before moving her eyes to his greens "Dai san, you're not suitable for the job. Every mission with Gin will require you to murder or at least contribute to the murder of someone."

"So what!" He shrugged.

Dai was acting as if yesterday never happened and it made Shiho feel irritated. What she didn't know was that he had no memory of her coming to his apartment. He was too drunk to recall it and he was still a bit hungover when he came to the lab.

"You can't do that!"

"I have a record in shooting with a sniper rifle. If I can't do it then who could?" He asked, looking rather smug. _There he goes, that cocky look...Ugh it irritated her._

"I don't care about that. If killing one person caused you all of that suffering than what do you think will happen if it turns into ten?"

"Sorry if I gave you the wrong impression but, Do you see me suffering?" Shuichi asked, collected at the surface but confused on the inside. _How on earth does she know? _

Shiho walked to him with her chin up and her gaze locked on his, she stood too close to him and smiled daringly. "Are you telling me you didn't feel a tiny tiny bit of guilt after killing Haru?"

"No." He shrugged. "Not that it's any of your concern."

"You're a goddamn liar...That's not what it looked like yesterday." She looked at him amused. She just loved cornering him, anything to wipe that cocky look off his face.

Shuichi's confusion grew enough to become visible on his face, it was then that the memory came to him. _How could he forget that? But he can't tell her anyway, he need to hide it. He can't allow a member of the organization to expose him._

"It was no different. I did feel new to the situation and told you I'll get used to it, didn't I?" He said in an attempt to save himself. "Guilt, on the other hand, No! I always prevent things that would make me feel guilty before they even happen."

"I don't believe you!"

"Believe what you want, I'm not demanded to convince you."

"Fine, but yesterday, in the bedroom your feelings were clear, I'm believing what I saw in there."

"Whatever you want, Shiho." Shuichi moved his gaze back to the tubes on the desk. _This time he really messed up, he let her in and she almost exposed him, he needs to be more careful._

"Am I interrupting something?" A deep voice came from the office door. The twosome looked towards it, it was Gin with his usual intimidating grin.

"No, actually I was about to leave." Dai calmly said. "We were talking about Akemi, we've been having some troubles and Sherry offered to help fix our relationship."

"Alright, you can leave."

Shuichi left the office with no protest. He didn't want the scenario of the first meeting to happen again.

"Wow, how nice of you sherry! Helping other people fix their relationship." Gin started. Shiho's gaze followed him. "But I won't trust you with that because you know, in order to give advice you have to be in a good position to give it, and from what I see your relationship is not in a good position."

"Then I'm happy to inform you that my advice had worked and now they're getting back together" She looked at him, proud of her doing.

"I think we should go home." Gin said impassively.

"There's no way I could go now, it's 4 pm, work is at its peak."

"That's not a suggestion Sherry!" Gin harshly said with the earnest expression. "You have five minutes to meet me in the parking lot."

The long-haired man left the office. Shiho took off her lab coat. It was the first time Gin asks for her at such time. He always picks her up after work or on days off but to snatch her from the lab at 4 pm when he knew it was the time she did most of the work was unusual. The scientist rode the elevator down to where she'll deeply regret going.

* * *

**Next chapter: Gin is so angry at Shiho, why? And what is he going to do?. Shuichi has somethings to say to Shiho.**

**I just noticed that for some reason most chapters start with Shiho knocking on doors :D**


	7. Abuse

Gin's eyes were wide open focusing on the road ahead of him. Both his hands clenched tightly on the driving wheel enough to drain his knuckles from blood. Shiho knew he was angry. He scares her when he's like that so she preferred to avoid eye contact and stay silent, which seemed to work seeing that he didn't say a word either. He just kept burning cigarettes one after the other. She had no idea why he was angry though, or why he drove her to his apartment at this time of the day?

_"yesterday in the bedroom your feelings were clear, I'm believing what I saw in there."_

Remembering the words he heard earlier, Gin tightened his grip even more. Shiho was his and only his. The thought that that filthy Morobochi had his hands on her made him want to kill him, which he certainly will do, but first, he had to deal with Sherry. Just when he'd warned her she went behind his back and fooled around with the person he warned her about, that fucker, he'll kill him with his own hands and he'll make him suffer before it. He was surprised how he managed to control himself and not kill him on the spot in the lab.

They finally reached their destination. Shiho preceded Gin to the apartment and waited for him to unlock the door. She walked inside then turned to face him in wait for him to say something.

"Gin!" She broke the silence questionably.

"…Where'd you go yesterday, Sherry?" Gin interjected. His threatening eyes pierced Shiho to the core.

"Is this why you brought me here? You could've just asked me in the lab-"

"Just answer the fucking question." He suddenly yelled, slamming his fist to the wall. Shiho jumped in surprise with the look of indifference on her face turning solemn.

"It was Sunday, I went to see Akemi."

"And then?"

She struggled for a moment between telling him the truth or not, but seeing how he acted he must already know so lying would only make matters worse.

"I went to see Dai san."

"And why did you go to him?" His voice was dangerously low like the calm before the storm. Shiho felt her heartbeats fasten as his narrowed eyes gazed at her.

"He and my sister had a problem, I was trying to help, he…he already told you about-"

"You little bitch!"

Shiho's lips tightened. She took a deep breath to prevent herself from saying what she might regret.

"Don't ever call me that again, Gin." She warned, putting her words in the sweetest tone she could muster.

"The one person that I warn you about and you go to him. Did you do it on purpose to make me angry?" He asked, taking slow steps towards her. Shiho found herself retreating backward obliviously with every step he took.

"Nothing happened! How many times do I have to tell you he's Akemi's boyfriend? I don't think of him that way."

"Don't bullshit me." Gin yelled.

"Even if I wanted to cheat on you, you think I'd do it with my sister's boyfriend?" She said in the hope of talking some sense into his head.

At that moment, her back hit the wall. Unable to take another step back, Gin cornered her. His fist hit the wall behind her. Sherry closed her eyes tightly feeling her body quiver. He scared her when he talked but now that he kept silent he scared her even more. She was barely able to stand and she desperately needed to escape his intense gaze but when she looked away, Gin held her chin violently and forced her to look at him.

"You go to his apartment, and go into his bedroom, and you want me to believe nothing had happened?" Gin raged with entitlement.

Shiho's eyes widened for a second. _Gin heard her talking and he got it all wrong, but how could she explain it to him?_

"It's not what you think, Gin. Just let go of me, I can explain." She hid her fear and answered calmly.

Gin freed her chin which now had finger marks all over it and proceeded to hold her wrist. "You better have a good explanation." He said, hovering over her and trapping her between his tall body and the wall.

"Okay, first, you let go of my hand." She said. Gin kept on gazing at her intensely not realizing that his grasp was crashing her wrist bones. It caused her breathing to fasten. Shiho felt so small and helpless. She struggled between his fingers with no result. "Gin, please! You're hurting me."

Gin has never done anything like this to Shiho. But at the moment, it was as if some kind of an evil spirit took over him.

"What's your explanation, sherry?" He asked impatiently.

"I…" She swallowed, he'll break her bones if he keeps it any longer. "I… he and my sister… I went to his house to talk about it but he was drunk and, then he went inside the bedroom."

"And what feelings were you talking about? You said his feelings were obvious."

"Akemi…" She closed her eyes and winced when his grip tightened. "…His feelings for Akemi."

"Bullshit!" He yelled. "You're taking me for a fool if you expect me to believe that."

"Gin, I swear! That's what happened. They're even getting back together as I told you."

"Even if he was drunk, why did you fucking follow him to his bedroom?" Gin's eyes flashed dangerously and his grip left Shiho's wrist.

He seethed and before she could know it, his open hand cracked across her face and she fell with the force of it. Shiho didn't expect him to be so strong, but there she was, on the floor with a ringing ear and black dots covering her vision.

It was the first time he raises his hand on her. He always managed to bring new ways of turning her life into hell. But to physically abuse her, that was a new low even for Gin.

Gin stood there in shock. He doesn't even know how he did it, this was his Sherry, his love, the object of his infatuation and he never intended to harm her. But then she brought this on herself.

Shiho staggered to her feet, clutching her face, blue eyes watering. She was still in shock but had to run away to the first room that encountered her to hide her tears. He's never seen her cry before and she's not giving him the satisfaction of it now. She got inside. Her shaky hand twisted the key locking the door. She was scared he might try to come in and hurt her even more.

She was trying to calm her breaths when the pounding of Gin's footsteps was heard. Seconds later the doorknob turned but he found it locked.

"Sherry." He called from behind the door.

She froze, covering her mouth with one hand to hide her sobs. Her tears kept flowing against her wishes.

"Sweetheart, open the door."

Her body lurched for a moment when Gin knocked again. Shiho stayed silent. She needed to leave but felt helpless. She ran away from him and into the lion's den, she's inside his bedroom. _How could she escape? He'd kill her here and no one would find out._

"I didn't want to hurt you but you disobeyed me and you know how much I hate that. I warned you about him specifically but you went to his house anyway and-"

"And nothing happened." Her shaky voice interrupted.

Gin rested his forehead on the door. "How do you expect me to believe that?"

"Because you know me, Gin, even if it's not you, I would never do that to my sister."

That kind of made sense for Gin now that he's anger subsided. He knew how much Sherry loved her sister, she was her weakness and she would literally do anything for her. So there's no way she'd do this to her.

"Then what did you do in his bedroom?"

"He was drunk… Because they weren't talking anymore and went inside, he looked in pain when he talked about her saying that he loves her. I told him that she loves him too and that she's suffering after he'd left and they should get back together. Those are the feelings I talked about."

"I don't believe you."

This statement lost her the calmness she'd gathered. "Goddamnit Gin what do you want me to tell you to believe me? Do you want me to tell you that I slept with him? Is this the only thing your brain is wired to believe?"

Not only that her arguments were plausible for Sherry would never hurt her sister, but there was also anger! That voice tone! Now Gin knows she's telling the truth.

"I'll let it pass this time." He said, as if doing her a favor. "But if I ever hear you went to his house again, what happens to you after that-"

"I won't." She cut him off not wanting to hear the rest of that sentence.

"Alright, now open the door." His threatening voice suddenly softened.

"Go away, Gin."

Shiho waited patiently and attentively listened to his steps. She heard him step away from the bedroom, walk somewhere in the apartment and then he walked to the main door and left slamming it behind. When she made sure there weren't any steps heard, she got out and left the apartment.

(*)

It was a beautiful Sunday noon. Shiho went to Akemi early. They were going to meet at dinner in a restaurant like usual but she wanted to spend time with her at home too. After that awful experience she had with Gin on Tuesday she needed more positive energy, well she hasn't seen him since that day so that was positive energy in itself.

When she got there, she found Dai in there too. Everything seemed back to normal with him and Akemi.

Shiho never wanted to admit to herself that Akemi and Dai's relationship could sometimes make her jealous. You see his sharp gaze, but it's soft like butter when it lands on hers. You see her neutral stare, but it's shining with happiness when it lands on him.

Comparing that to her and Gin, what was given out of love in her case was taken by dominance. Trust was replaced by paranoia, cooperation was entitlement and sweet words were manipulation. It wasn't a relationship, it was a cold war and Gin was the conqueror.

Shiho's feelings for Gin were complicated, there was interest and admiration at first, but there was never real love. That bright happiness she sees in Akemi, those tender touches Dai gives when his hand touches her sister's, and those genuine smiles when their eyes lock, that feeling of completely trusting the other, of having each other's back, of being a team, of being valued by the other… Shiho will never experience that with a partner like Gin, and if someday she decides to refuse him, he'll be after her along with a criminal organization routed in every country across the globe.

"I won't take long." Akemi said aiming for the door. She had breakfast with her friend earlier today but her friend called stating that she forgot something in her car and that she's in front of the building.

The brunette headed down to meet her friend leaving Shiho and Dai alone. When she did, Shuichi turned away from his phone and looked at the redhead who sat across from him enjoying a cup of tea.

Not knowing how to start, Shuichi sighed.

"So… What's up?"

Her blue eyes lifted from the cup to meet his greens. _They've been in the same room for over an hour and now he's asking that?_

"What?" She asked casually.

"How are things going?"

Her eyebrows rose for a moment and she eyed him silently.

"If you want to ask me something then stop beating around the bush." She dryly said.

"Nothing in particular." He shrugged. "Have you been in a relationship before? Except with Gin."

"No! Why?"

He kept silent for a while examining her face. "I wanna know why you're hiding it from Akemi."

"And I'm pretty sure I told you it's none of your business."

Shuichi sighed again, _God she's a tough nut!_ "Do you ever notice there's something unusual about your relationship with him?"

Sherry thought for a moment. The only time that Dai saw her interact with Gin was that day on the balcony, and it went fine and he didn't suspect a thing for 5 months. The second time was the other day in the lab but he left before she even said a word. So there's no way he knew.

"I'm probably gonna regret this but what do you mean?" She sighed nonchalantly.

"I mean, it'd be hard for you to notice seeing that you've never been in a relationship before, but I don't think that your relationship is normal."

Shiho just looked at him annoyed.

"Since when you became a relationship specialist? And before you say that to me, you should review yours... I mean laser tag, really? You two are like two halves of one idiot." She teased before taking a sip from her tea. Just before she left, Akemi was talking about how she went with Dai to play laser tag. It was a silly suggestion from her when she saw the sign in the city and he surprisingly agreed because, well because it involved shooting.

"I think I know why you don't want to tell her." Dai said.

Shiho placed her cup on the coffee table. _Could it be? No way! But what if?_ She smiled to hide her nervousness and looked at him with her chin up.

"Let me hear it" she gestured.

Dai placed his elbows on his knees and looked at her sternly.

"I asked you this before but I'm gonna ask you again. Are you afraid of him?"

Shuichi had some concerns for Sherry the first time he met with Gin, he then discarded them. But when he heard the manner with which Gin spoke to her he knew something was wrong. That day he left his pack of cigarettes on Shiho's desk when he held the lab tube, but when he went back for it he heard them talking.

Shiho was not the kind of girl to obey when someone asks her to do something she didn't want especially if asked authoritatively. 'it's not a suggestion', that's not a thing she'd answer to unless something was wrong, combined with her reaction on the balcony, and the expression that took over her when she saw Gin get inside her office, that thing has got to be fear.

"That's absurd, I told you I'm not." Shiho lied, making the most convincing expression she could muster.

"Liar!"

"Excuse me!"

"Can't you see it? You're in an abusive relationship." Dai said.

"Abusive your ass! You're speaking about the archive of five months ago and it's not even true! That time I was scared for you that he might hurt you, not from him."

"That's not what I meant Shiho." He looked at her deadly serious. "I know what happened on Tuesday and I don't think it should continue."

The mention of Tuesday made her heartbeat instantly fasten. Her white cheeks flushed as she looked away for a moment gathering her thoughts on what to say next. Shuichi invested that time to head to the kitchen.

_Does he know that Gin hurt her? But that's impossible! There's no way he could know._

"I don't recall anything happening on Tuesday." Shiho said innocently. _She'll play this card for now._

Dai was walking back from the kitchen when he spoke, he was holding two glasses of water.

"Look, it might be hard for you to notice but relationships aren't supposed to be like that. You can't force your partner out when he doesn't want to, you need to respect his choice instead." His husky voice came soft and gentle like a song. Dai handed her a glass of water and sat on the couch arm next to her as he went on explaining as if she were a child. "You can't say it's not a suggestion, relationships are built on suggestions, nothing forced, just suggestions. That's why we need to find compatible people so that there's a bigger chance that we agree to each other's suggestions."

_So all he knew was that Gin forced her to leave. _Shiho looked him back relieved. His soft manner was doing things to her heart, she could feel it. It was that warmth she felt back when she hugged him, a nice feeling inside that she couldn't pinpoint.

She wished if she could tell him the truth then and there, to ask him to make it stop but she didn't want him to be in trouble. He was already on Gin's bad side and if he made any move Gin will kill him without hesitation. She couldn't afford to have Akemi go through that loss and to be honest, she too couldn't afford to lose him.

"I appreciate your concern, Dai san, but you're wrong. I'm not in an abusive relationship. We had a mission and whenever we do Gin gets all serious… He's just serious about his job." She lied again. She's done a lot of lying this week and it's starting to drain her energy.

At that exact moment, the door opened and Akemi joined them. Dai stood up from his spot on the couch arm and turned to face her while gobbling the glass of water he held.

"Did you convince him to join us, Shiho?" Akemi asked walking towards them. Shiho shook her head.

"It's sister's night." Dai said looking at Akemi who stood in front of him by that time.

"But we both don't mind you coming." She looked up with a cute, almost effective puppy face.

"Don't make that face! We can all go out on another day, but let's leave tonight for you two." He said, bringing her head closer and kissing her forehead. Akemi wrapped her arms around his torso and kissed him before Shiho intervened.

"Get a room!"

They both smiled at each other for a moment before pulling back.

* * *

**Next chapter: Shuichi suspects his cover was blown. Shiho's past repeats itself with Gin and Dai confronting each other again. Dai and Shiho get in a heated argument.**

**For anyone that has left me a review, I really appreciate that so thank you :) Especially 75aichan and My Dear ShuShi.**


	8. Red Vs Silver

The first rays of early morning sun fell slanting through the window. Shuichi walked to the balcony with a cup of coffee in his hand. There was still too little traffic outside so the air was very clear with a hint of coffee and toast smell coming from his kitchen. He looked down at the city of Tokyo recalling the view from his New York apartment.

It's been a year since he first met Akemi and over 9 months since he joined the organization. He's been undercover for so long he no longer remembers what it was like to be himself. It's as if Shuichi Akai was starting to fade in him leaving the place for Dai Moroboshi to take over. He adapted to the role so well he became that other person in a way.

Sometimes, he truly wants to believe that Akemi is his real girlfriend, that the accident that brought them together was just a coincidence and not an act planned weeks ahead. It was like living an alternative life. But then he remembers the organization he's up against and starts building his defenses again. If only he could get anything useful from this infiltration. Why is it going so slow? Even after the promotion, he hasn't been called by Gin once. It's only been two weeks but still, he really wanted to get some progress.

As if his wish was granted by some Genie, the phone he received from Gin vibrated and a text appeared on the screen. They have a meeting at 5 pm today.

(*)

Dai took one last breath from his cigarette before throwing it to the ground. He got to the warehouse early and found nobody, but even when the time came nobody showed up. Minutes later, Vodka appeared alone. It was unusual seeing that he and Gin always show up together.

"Where's Gin?" Dai asked.

"He'll be here." The other man answered briefly.

Vodka continued walking. The sound of his steps echoed through the broad place. He stopped meters away from Dai, crossed his arms and stared at the agent in silence. Shuichi couldn't really see his eyes through the dark glasses, even so, he could feel the gaze burn through him. Vodka's body and full attention were all turned towards Shuichi as if trying to make him nervous.

The long haired man stood calmly supporting his back to a pillar. He looked away for a while but when he looked back, he found vodka still staring at him as if he was a child and Shuichi was his favorite toy. _What the hell is he thinking?_

"Is there something on my face?" The agent asked.

"Hmph" was all that Vodka replied with the side of his lips lifting. He still gazed at Shuichi and it was starting to anger him.

Shuichi was adjusting his back on the pillar. Just when he was about to say something, he felt something hard press against his back.

"Put your hands where I can see them." The familiar threatening voice of Gin ordered.

Dai's hands slowly lifted in the air. He gazed at Vodka who was still staring at him with the mocking smile. Vodka examined him, Dai seemed too calm for the situation. It was one of the reasons Shuichi was chosen for this mission by the FBI, he was calm and collected and knew how to control his emotions and hide them behind a poker face no matter what he felt on the inside.

Shuichi slowly turned to the side and looked at Gin from the corner of his eye.

"What are you doing, Gin?" He calmly asked.

"You thought I wouldn't find out about you?" Gin asked, pressing the gun further into Shuichi's shirt. "You son of a bitch, I can smell infiltrators from miles away"

_Could it be they found out about him? But how? He didn't leave a trace behind. _Adrenalin suddenly pumped through Shuichi's veins, he felt his heart pounding faster and his muscles tense. For a minute he started considering a way to escape. _Maybe elbow Gin and disarm him, but then Vodka will shoot at him. Then he'll use Gin as a shield. There's no way vodka would shoot his superior._

Shuichi was perplexed and worried. But on his face was nothing but impassiveness.

"What are you talking about? I think you got the wrong guy."

"Are you doubting my judgment? You think I'm joking about this to get a wrong person?" Gin asked, and with every word his gun pressed harder against Shuichi's skin, it's probably gonna leave a red mark if he survive.

"If you're so sure, then reconsider because you're wrong."

"I'll tell you one thing about me." Gin approached Dai's ear as he went on. "I-am-never-wrong!"

The sound of high heels clicking on the floor echoed through the empty space. Shuichi felt the gun tip immediately loosen from his skin.

"Relax, he's just bluffing you." It was a woman's voice. "That's Gin's way of welcoming new members into the team. He thinks it would reveal agents, I think it's just stupid."

Shuichi brought his hands down before turning to where the voice came from, it was a woman with long blond hair he knew too well, Vermouth, the one that the FBI sent him after. If only he could take her with him and leave.

"Look what we have here!" She grinned when her eyes met Dai's. She slowly strutted towards him.

"He's dating someone, Vermouth." Gin cut her off annoyed. Why does she have to flirt with every good looking man she encounters? This is why their relationship couldn't work. Vermouth likes to have multiple partners but his precious Sherry has no one but him, she was all his, Gin was the only man in her life, he was the first and he'll be the last.

"Just the way I like them, pretty and taken."The blonde answered, eyeing Gin.

Vermouth had always liked Gin. They used to be better but ever since he started his relationship with Sherry he could barely spare her anytime, which strangely boosted his attractiveness for her. She didn't mind him having another woman in his life because she too had other men, but it does anger her when he chooses Sherry over her.

"Are we ever gonna talk about the mission?" Vodka finally broke his silence.

The meeting didn't take long. They discussed the plan and each person's role and the place and time of execution. Just as Shiho expected, they were going to kill somebody; A university professor. This time, Vermouth is the one to pull the trigger. Shuichi was glad he was the second plan and not their first call, he gets to intervene only if Vermouth fails but knowing her, that's very improbable to happen. But even if he didn't press the trigger, he'd still feel terrible if the man loses his life and he stands by without preventing it.

(*)

(A month and a half later)

Shiho was busy typing on her laptop. She looked pretty in her unbuttoned lab coat that exposed an elegant maroon dress underneath it. She seemed to gain some weight but it all went into the right places. It was no wonder she'd gained what she gained since she's been eating more lately. She got more time to take care of herself now that Gin was out of the picture. It's been 2 months since that awful day in his apartment and she hadn't seen him since.

"Sweetheart!"

The word made her eyes widen for a second. _He can't just come back! She was doing good with him away so why is he back now?_

"Gin!" she whispered.

"Don't you look nice!" He grinned entering her office and walking towards her. "I missed you so much."

"That makes one of us." She drily answered.

Shiho was really angry at him for slapping her and wasn't going to let it pass easily because if she did, he might do it again and it might end up worse next time.

"Come on! Don't tell me you're still mad about that time, it's been months." Gin stopped walking when he got next to her desk, but Shiho stood up and walked passed him.

"Even if it's been years, that was not acceptable."

The redhead proceeded walking to a shelf at the wall across from her desk. She started looking through the multiple reports placed on it. She heard his steps approaching her.

"You made me really angry back then."

"Don't you blame it on me, if anything it's your paranoia."

"That's because I worry about you. I'm just trying to protect you from men who try to use you."

_And he got the nerves to say that! Ugh_. Sherry continued her search facing her reports with Gin behind her. "If you call that protection then keep it to yourself."

"Just come home with me, I'll make it up to you."

"No!" The first time she says no and it came with entitlement and confidence. God, it felt satisfying. It was much easier saying it without looking straight into his eyes.

Gin took a step forward closer to her back. He inhaled her sweet perfume scent_, how gratifying is this?_ _How much he had missed her!_ Now that he was so close, he started wondering how he spent 2 months without her. Although vermouth was in Japan and kept him company, nothing matched his cherry. He needed to bring her back to his apartment now. Gin's back obliviously bent forward, his head approached her and he placed a kiss on the back of her neck.

Shiho's head was buried in the reports. She could feel his light kiss on her skin, she waited for him to end it but he didn't.

"Gin!" She called, taking a step away from his lips before returning to the reports.

"Come home with me, Sherry!" His voice was weak, there was not that usual superiority in it, it sounded more like a plea than an order.

"I said no. I have a lot of work to do and even if I didn't, I wouldn't."

If busyness strategy failed to keep him away, she's not going to let go of this opportunity of playing angry to get him out of her sight.

"Why are you talking to me like that?" He asked when she turned to face him. God, her face was perfect! How much he missed those eyes and that hair and those lips, everything about Sherry! He needed to take her home for he wasn't sure he could hold himself any longer. He placed one hand on her cheek as he went on. "It's been two months since we last met so it's only fair that you come."

"Hey! Put your hand down." A deep voice was heard from the office door. "You heard the lady, did you, she said she doesn't want to go."

"Hold your horses and get outta here, this is not your business." Gin eyed him.

Shuichi ignored his superior and walked inside with determination. He stood next to them and gazed at Gin.

"Hey what's your problem?" Gin asked.

"What's YOUR problem?"Shuichi frowned.

The two men found themselves in the same position as the first time they met, standing across from one another, both piercing the other with a sharp gaze.

Gin narrowed his eyes. He violently pulled Shuichi by the collar of his shirt.

"Listen to me, kiddo… Next time you take that tone with me, I'll knock your damn head off." He hissed.

Shuichi pushed Gin's hand harshly freeing himself from his grip. "I won't have to take it if you listen to what she says."

"Stop it, you two!" Shiho finally broke her silence. Her head was turning left and right between the two men.

"I think the key for this is in your hand, Sherry." Gin grinned with his eyes on Dai before turning to face Shiho. "What do you think? Do you want to stay here or do you want to come home with me and tell this man to stop getting his nose in other people's business?"

Shiho looked at Shuichi who had a hint of a smile on his face, he was sure of his winning and was waiting to enjoy Gin getting sent home empty handed. But to his surprise…

"I'll come with you, Gin." She said. Leaving the green-eyed man startled.

Gin's grin widened announcing his victory. Sherry walked back to her desk to pick up her purse avoiding Dai's eyes. She had to do this to protect him, she doesn't want Gin to think there's something going on between them again.

(*)

It was already night time. Shiho leaned her head against the car's leather headrest. Her lips were partly parted and she felt tired and sleepy. But when the driver passed by her building and was turning to the parking lot, she spotted the figure of Dai standing in front of the building and it drove her sleepiness away. She couldn't believe her eyes. Shiho was thankful that she called her driver because if Gin were to drive her, it would've been a disaster. She fidgeted in her seat in wait for the car to stop and soon as it did, she got out and hastened out of the parking lot towards the main entrance of the building.

"Dai san!" she called.

Dai stood there with a pool of cigarettes underneath him. His green eyes turned to look at her.

"Shiho! What was that all about?" He furrowed his brows in question.

Shiho took three steps to the main entrance door and opened it. "Have you been waiting here long?"

He followed her to the inside, annoyed at her changing the subject. "That's not important. Now answer my question."

"I don't think these matters should be discussed in corridors, let's get to the apartment first." She calmly said.

The two members rode the elevator and walked the corridor in silence. Soon as she let him in and closed the door, Dai started.

"Now answer me, Shiho."

"What was your question?" She asked casually as if the topic didn't interest her, which caused Shuichi to sigh.

"Why'd you go with him?"

"Because I wanted to."

"I'm sure I heard you say you didn't."

"I was just teasing him." She downplayed the situation with a hand gesture.

"I'm pretty sure I could tell the difference, you were not teasing him." Shuichi looked her back with a solemn expression.

"Yes, I was, until you came and ruined it... You know what? Gin is right, you do like to get into other people's business." The redhead said, annoyed.

Dai looked at the floor for a moment, he looked disappointed. It hurt her seeing him like that, it hurt her to say that to him but she had to make sure he doesn't get between her and Gin again before Gin's grudge grows.

"I try to protect you and you tell me off because it's not my business?" He asked softly.

"I can take care of myself, I didn't ask for your services." Shiho shrugged, taking three arrogant steps inside her living room and leaving him behind.

Shuichi stood in his place next to the door. At that moment he felt his blood boil. _He knew she was smart so how could she be so oblivious to how Gin treated her? How come she considers him the bad guy in this and Gin is the good one?_

"Goddamnit open your eyes! He's abusing you. You need to wake up. Don't you think I notice that you're scared shitless of him?" Shuichi raged. It was the first time she sees him lose his temper and it was for her.

Shiho stopped walking and turned to face him with a frown. Both her hands were on her hips. "There you go again, getting your nose into my business. I already told you you're wrong so why do you insist… Why do you even care?"

"Then I'm telling you I'm making it MY business." He took three steps closer towards her reducing the distance between them. "If I agreed to hide your relationship from Akemi, doesn't mean I'll agree to that. Just when she thinks you're doing fine, you're dealing with that sick bastard. This needs to stop."

"There is nothing to stop. It's all in your imagination. And I swear to God if you tell her-" Shiho replied with the same angry tone he spoke with but he interrupted.

"I'm not stupid Shiho, and I know you're not too. So stop acting as if nothing's wrong because it's not working anymore."

"That's your opinion, Dai san." She said after taking a deep breath. This time she reduced her tone in the hope of calming him and not letting the situation grow more critical. "As you like to say, I'm not demanded to convince you. Just whatever you believe leave Akemi out of it."

"I won't tell her, but this needs to stop now...I'm gonna put an end to it." He said with full confidence and determination. _What is this idiot talking about? Is he planning to go against Gin? He'd kill him in a heartbeat_. Shiho opened her mouth to protest but Dai was faster to add. "Don't give me the denial shit again because you know that I'm right."

"You know what would be right? If you know where your boundaries are and not trespass them." Shiho said. She pointed her index at him and took a step forward. "If you try anything on Gin or even talk to him about this again, I won't ever forgive you."

Shuichi took a deep breath to calm himself, he then continued softly. His eyes were wide and innocent like a child again and his voice was husky yet gentle "Shiho, I'm trying to help you here!"

"I don't need your help. My life is none of your concern... Just stay away from me." She sternly said, contradicting what she truly felt.

Dai didn't say a word. His greens examined her for a moment expressionlessly before turning to the door and leaving. How she wished to know what he thought at that moment!

Shiho watched her only hope leave. Her blue eyes glimmered with watery tears she didn't know she was holding. She walked to where he stood and closed the door behind him before supporting herself against it.

Just like that, she lost her ticket to safety. The only person that was brave enough to have the will to face Gin for her, the only person that cared for her and tried to help her, the first person to make her feel cherished and valued throughout her life had left just like she ordered him to. She chose her abuser over her protector.

It was hard for her to say what she said and to treat Dai like that when he was nothing but nice to her, but she knew it was for his best. She feared that Gin might hurt him. It was all to protect him.

Shiho closed her eyes, feeling a warm stream of tears tracing her heated skin. _What is wrong with her? why is she becoming so emotional lately? She's been living like this for years so why is she feeling bad only now?_ It was as if her heart was numbed all of those years by some anesthesia and now it suddenly drained off making her realize how awful her life truly was. She was better off before when she didn't feel it because feeling like this sucks!

Despite everything she said to Dai, Shiho wished if that conversation went in a different way. She longed to admit the truth to him, to cry on his shoulder, to ask him to make it stop. The day when Gin gets punished for everything he did to her, how she wished it was close. But she knew that Gin was too dangerous to mess with and risking Dai's life for her own safety was just wrong.

Shiho headed to her bedroom. She crumbled on the bed without even changing her clothes. She kept thinking about Dai. How could he not fear Gin? She'll never know! But what she knows now is that she should keep him away from her life before he does something reckless.

* * *

**Thank you, everyone, for reading! ****I had the worst time writing this chapter! I had the idea ready but found trouble turning it into words and just got stuck in that part for days. Anyhoo, I hope it turned out fine.**

**Next chapter: Shiho misses Shuichi, she tries to find him. But does he miss her as much as she misses him?**


	9. The realization

Over one month had passed. Five weeks. 36 days since Shiho last me Dai Moroboshi. She should've known better than to tell him to stay away from her because he took it way too literally.

He used to appear in the lab when Gin called for missions there, he used to come up to her office to say hi but he didn't since. He used to accompany Akemi for Sunday dinners but he doesn't show up anymore. Even when he didn't show up in the restaurant, she always met him when she went to her sister's apartment on Sundays, but she no longer finds him there.

Dai was just nowhere to be seen. He continued avoiding her for weeks and Shiho couldn't stop thinking about him throughout that time. Every minute, the figure of Dai would pop in her head. She needed to stop those thoughts and needed to see him.

It was a Friday morning and Shiho thought maybe she could find Dai at her sister's since it's not a Sunday and she's not expected to come. She got ready then headed to Akemi's apartment.

When Akemi opened the door, she gaped in surprise.

"Shiho!" She cheered with a wide smile. "That's great! I was about to make breakfast so you came just in time."

"Oh, I already ate." Shiho smiled back.

"You can eat twice. How many times do we get to have breakfast together anyway?" Akemi said, closing the door and stepping inside the living room where Shiho preceded.

"Alright!"

Shiho's eyes turned around in search of the long haired man. The apartment was quiet and neat, lit by the morning sunlight that shone through every window, but no signs indicated that Dai was there. Shiho felt a bit disappointed by that fact. But when she turned and saw Akemi, her mood instantly brightened.

"How do you like your eggs?"

"I'll just drink some coffee." Shiho said taking a seat on the couch.

"Okay! Aren't you gonna join me in the kitchen?" Akemi asked.

"I have to send a text to my coworker first. Be with you in a minute."

Akemi smiled faintly at her sister before moving behind the kitchen counter. Shihor looked down at her phone typing that she's going to be late for work.

The kitchen was not really so far from where she sat. The apartment was built in a modern style so Shiho from her spot on the couch had a visual of the kitchen and of the hallway right across from it which leads to the bedroom.

Just when she finished sending the text and lifted her head from the phone, she saw Dai coming out of the hallway and walking his way towards the kitchen. His long hair was loose and a bit messy and he was not wearing the knit cap. In fact, he wasn't wearing anything but a pair of boxers. Shiho's eyes grew for a while and she sucked in a breath before she looked down to her phone… and then back up. His eyes were locked onto the kitchen anyway.

Shiho followed the agent with her eyes. He was walking slowly and still looked sleepy as he rubbed his eye with his knuckles, yet every step he took gave away his strength. Every muscle in his body popped right out like some state athlete. He looked as if he just came out of a Calvin Klein photo shoot. No wonder he wasn't scared of Gin, if those two got into a fistfight, no one could anticipate how it would end.

"Morning, Handsome! How'd you sleep?" Akemi chirped.

The voice drew Shiho out of her thoughts. She caught herself gawking so she quickly adjusted herself on the couch and cleared her throat.

"Morning!" Dai said, his voice was still hoarse from sleep. At that moment, his paces slowed a little and he turned to notice the redhead sitting on the couch, but it didn't take him long to turn his head back to the kitchen and retrieve his steps there.

In those two seconds he glanced at her, Shiho looked down at her phone with a nice crimson color on her cheeks. She really hoped he didn't notice it.

Shuichi finally reached the kitchen and opened the fridge, grabbing himself a bottle of water. Akemi approached him.

"Shiho's here for breakfast, so why don't you go put on some clothes and come join us?" She talked in a low voice though Shiho managed to hear.

"No, I'm leaving now." His voice was louder than Akemi, not caring whether the other person in the room hears him or not.

"Why? But Shiho's here! You two haven't met in a while."

"I have something to do." Shuichi said before sipping from the water he filled himself. _He didn't really have anything to do._

"It's just breakfast! I thought you can't start a morning without coffee." The brunette walked back to the coffee machine.

"I'll get a canned one." He said, placing the glass in the sink and walking back into the bedroom. This time, he didn't turn his gaze to Shiho at all.

Shiho should've expected this. She knew Dai was a man of pride so when she told him to stay away from her, of course, he'd erase her from his life. But then she felt like she needed him, she missed him so much that she wanted to hug him. She lowered her gaze to the phone again as he walked and cursed herself for thinking that. _What the heck is she thinking? That's her sister's boyfriend? Why is she having those ideas now?_

When he left, Shiho joined Akemi in the kitchen. Not so long after, Dai showed up again, dressed in an olive green shirt with rolled up sleeves. His eye color was changed to harmonies with the shirt's color, they looked beautiful, and they also looked at Akemi ignoring Shiho's existence.

"I'm going now." He announced and turned to the door before Akemi could even stop him.

Shiho sighed. Now she knows he won't ever reach out for her again. _Will they ever get their old relationship back?_

"He's acting weird today, don't you think?" Akemi noted when she heard the door close.

"Maybe… You know him better." Shiho replied.

(*)

"What! Are you out of your mind?" Shiho exclaimed.

"You'll be provided with protection, don't worry."

She continued walking back and forth with her hands crossed. "What would that do me when my face is caught in a surveillance camera while I'm committing a crime?"

"I've got that under control. Soon as you approach, every surveillance camera will be disabled... Even if they manage to somehow enable them we'll delete the footage."

She stopped and looked out of her floor to ceiling window. She's already deeply involved with the organization, but it's always done in the shadows. But for her to go in public, to a famous company, and ask for classified files while impersonating the company's attorney was something else.

"Hey!" Gin hugged her from behind, placing his chin on her shoulder while staring at the city view. "You know I won't allow anything that put you in danger, it'll be fine."

"But Gin!"

"Did you know that the rarest hair color in the world is red hair? That is the entire world, in Japan, the number of people with natural red hair is close to zero. That company's attorney is a redhead so when they see you they won't even ask for identity confirmation… She's also an American and you lived there, so you have a good accent in case you needed to speak in English. I don't think anyone else could be fitter than you to do this."

Shiho sighed. These were the direct orders of Anokata, so who is she to decline? The organization needed those files in order to save one of their important contacts from going to jail.

"What if they find out I'm not her?" She voiced her concern.

"That's not possible. In order to deceive them, you need your pretty hair, a confident walk, and an arrogant speech. And you have all of those." Gin reassured, printing a kiss on her neck.

(*)

Shiho looked at herself in the mirror one last time. Although it was unusual for her to dress so formally, she looked good in the attire.

Another time, she found herself caught in the action of the organization. She glanced at the clock, it was 10 am. The time has come. The redhead rode the elevator down and walked out of the building. Her eyes widened in disbelieve when she saw a Chevrolet parked outside. She walked towards it and saw Dai sitting in the driver seat, looking ahead.

She opened the door. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye before turning them on the road and starting the car. Shiho got inside and put on her seat belt.

"I didn't expect you to be the one accompanying me."

"Anokata's orders" Dai answered briefly. Seeing how he managed to save Sherry the last time, the boss of the organization ordered that he accompanies her this time too.

"You're gonna wait for me outside, right?"

"Mmm"

"And when I need to contact you, you could hear me through the listening device." She said, just for the sake of making conversation. Gin told her all of this two days ago.

Shuichi just hummed again. He was not planning to exchange any conversations as it seems. He didn't even look at Sherry throughout the ride.

He dropped her off three blocks away and then preceded her to the company headquarter and parked his car next to the skyscraper. About ten minutes later, he saw Shiho walk inside.

Shiho felt nervous, she glanced at a surveillance camera on her way in and hoped that they were disabled. She went inside and followed the path she studied a day ago, Sherry reached a nice Japanese lady who after hearing the attorney's name and request made a phone call and asked her to wait.

Minutes later –Which felt like an eternity-, a man appeared holding a file. He handed it to the lady who in her turn gave it to Sherry. Sherry thanked her and left.

She sighed in relief when she finally got inside the Chevrolet.

"Mission accomplished." She smiled, adjusting herself in the passenger's seat.

"Good!" Dai mumbled.

He started the car without looking at her. He was supposed to drive sherry home and then take the files to Gin. Shiho wanted to look into his eyes, even for a few moments but he didn't turn her way once.

The entire ride home was filled with silence except for the few times she said something but was countered with a brief answer from him, mostly hums or shrugs. Eventually, she gave up trying.

20 minutes later, the Chevy stopped in front of her apartment. Shiho took off her seatbelt then turned to face him.

"Have a nice day, Dai san!"

"Good bye!" He mumbled. And dammit he didn't look at her although she was mentally begging him to.

"Ah, Dai san!" Shiho started and Dai finally turned her way. _Oh my god! Those eyes_! She found herself trying hard to suppress a smile. Just when his gaze met hers, she immediately felt that mysterious unidentifiable warm feeling she gets when she's around Dai. Shiho felt that internal warmth again, she was drowning in it and it felt so damn good! _What the hell are you doing to her Dai Morobochi? Just with one look! _"I didn't really mean what I said last time when I told you to stay away from me."

Shuichi hummed with a blank expression.

_Did he just hum again? Really? She was relinquishing her pride and he just hums, that idiot!_

"Is that all you have to say?" Sherry asked, a bit irritated.

His eyebrows rose and he gave her that trademark cocky look of his.

"Except that you're horrible at apologizing, that's all."

Relieved, Shiho grinned.

"See you!" she said leaving the car. He just nodded.

The redhead went up to her apartment, she took a shower then laid on bed with one thought in mind; Dai Moroboshi.

She's been thinking about him for way too long now, before, she always thought it was guilt for how she told him off when he tried to help her. But now they were fine, so why can't she stop thinking about him?

She rolled to the other side of bed recalling the times she met him, and how he stood up for Gin just for her, how he offered to protect her. So that was the warm feeling she couldn't pinpoint, it was protection, she's never felt protected her entire life and Dai was the first person ever to make her feel that way.

She turned to the other side of the bed again. She really appreciated Dai for being there for her, not only that but he was there for her sister too, she appreciated the sharp intelligence that led him to see through her lies, and his offer of protection, she even appreciated how he felt guilt.

She truly admired him, hell she liked him… Maybe even more! Oh shit!

* * *

**Oh Shit indeed.**

**Next chapter: Shuichi gets badly injured on a mission, he turns to Shiho for help.**


	10. Surgery

Midnight had already passed. It was not unusual for Shiho to stay in the lab for such a late hour. This night though, she had a headache which affected her efficiency and caused her to stay in longer.

She placed her elbow on the desk and massaged her temples in hope for the pain to disappear. The aspirin she took didn't seem to take effect, _it was probably fatigue from working for so long,_ she thought.

Eventually, the scientist decided to head home. Shiho closed her laptop lid, she stood up and took off her lab coat throwing it on her desk carelessly before turning to her handbag and opening it. Just when she did that, she heard a thud from the office door.

Shiho turned her head fast to the direction of the noise only to see a horrifying scene… It was Dai. He was supporting his back on the door frame and was barely able to stand up. His face was drained of blood, it was all white like a sheet of paper. Even his eyes lost their color with their olive green shade looking faded. The lower part of his T-shirt and his pants were all soaked in blood, in fact, he had blood all over him, on his face, on his arms, the small drops of the red liquid were everywhere.

(*)

(45 minutes ago)

It was supposed to be simple; 2 members will take the front door of the villa while Dai takes the back door. They assassinate the owner who's supposed to be home alone and leave.

Shuichi got inside through the backyard's entrance. He carefully crossed his way to the back door and was about to enter the house when a strong arm crawled around his neck pulling him backward. Shuichi's neck was trapped between the upper arm and the forearm of someone and he felt his neck crush against that person's chest. From the size of his biceps, Dai could tell that that person was not average sized.

Shuichi struggled for a moment before elbowing that person's stomach, he tottered backward and loosened his arm around the agent who took the chance to free himself and turn around to face his opponent. The man was wearing a suit and black glasses in the middle of the night, which indicated that he was a bodyguard. Along with that, he had a huge built. Now Shuichi was a tall man, but this man rested at the height of an NBA player, 2 meters of pure muscles.

The two men stood there for a second analyzing the other's next move. It didn't take long for Shuichi to figure it out when the bodyguard brought out his gun and pointed it at Shuichi's head. With a fast movement, Shuichi held the bodyguard's wrist with his left hand pushing it downwards, but on the way down, the other man pressed the trigger.

Shuichi didn't even know it until he felt an agonizing pain pierce through the lower left of his abdomen. He looked down and saw a hole through his shirt oozing with dark thick blood.

Dai felt the hand of the bodyguard struggle between his fingers but he used all of his strength to keep it under his control, if he were to let go now, the bodyguard will shoot him dead. Shuichi brought his right hand and tried to grab the gun helplessly, the pain was causing him to lose his strength and the bodyguard's great power wasn't helping either, but then if he let go he'd lose his life, he had to hang on for his life.

Shuichi kept one hand on the wrist and the other on the gun before closing in and diving his knee into the bodyguard's stomach. The sudden movement intensified the bullet wound's pain, causing the agent to wince.

The bodyguard didn't seem to be affected, instead, he attacked back with his knee sent into the agent's abdomen almost too close to the wound. Shuichi groaned in pain and he almost let go of the gun before tightening his grip on it again. He bent his head down to catch his breath, but he suddenly raised it, hitting the jaw of his opponent violently. The bodyguard felt his teeth almost cracking as drops of saliva left his gaping mouth, he was taken aback by the attack he didn't expect.

Shuichi took that opportunity to snatch the gun from his hand, but the other was insisting, bringing out another gun from his inside pocket. Feeling cornered, Shuichi pressed the trigger and shot him. His green eyes were wide open as he saw the bullet penetrate the bodyguard's head, forming a small hole and splattering small drops of blood that ricocheted all over his shirt and body.

Shuichi felt the urge to vomit. He just killed an innocent man, even if that man tried to kill him he was still on the good side, he was just trying to make a living but Shuichi put an end to his life. He will certainly feel horrible after the adrenaline drain from his body, but now, he had more urgent issues to take care of, he thought, looking at the bullet wound. He pressed a hand on it and groaned.

(*)

Shiho found her body literally trembling from the sight of Dai. She stepped towards him fast trying to support him before he falls.

"What happened?" she asked with her heart pounding faster inside her chest.

"I got shot."

The scientist stood next to him, placing his hand on her shoulder and walking him to a nearby chair.

"How long has it been?"

"About 20 minutes, maybe more."

Shiho sat him down slowly then grabbed another chair and sat across from him in a way that their knees were touching. She locked her eyes on his, hers looked wide and frightened.

"You lost a lot of blood." She eyed his soaked clothes, pressing the lab coat she grabbed on the wound on his abdomen before looking back at him. "Why didn't you go to a hospital?"

"I couldn't go to a hospital they'd investigate me… You're a scientist Shiho, you could help me with this."

"I…" She drew in a deep breath. "I don't know, Dai san!"

"You have an entire lab with five floors and 2 basements, I'm sure you could figure something out."

Shiho was suffering a mind stroke at that moment. She couldn't think clearly but what she knew was that she couldn't help him. She was a scientist, but most of her work was done on rats not on people, she needed someone experienced. That's when Riku sensei crossed her mind, he worked with her in the lab but before that, he used to be a surgeon for one of the biggest hospitals in Tokyo.

"Okay! I'm gonna call my coworker, he's a surgeon." She muttered, talking to herself. She turned to the desk to grab her phone. "He'll be here in 20 minutes." She said when she ended the call.

Looking back at Dai, Shiho felt her mind blinded by fear. She drew in another deep breath trying to remember what to do in such cases. _She needs to measure his pulse, right! She needs to assess the gravity of his blood loss._ Her right hand pressed on his wrist and she closed her eyes focusing on feeling his heart rate. It was too weak which is not a good sign. As she concentrated on that for a while, she heard a faint sound. Her blue eyes flickered open only to find that his teeth were chattering.

"It's okay! I'm just…I'm cold." He smiled at her. He rarely smiles, but now that he was in this condition, he managed to do it.

This was a warning sign, to be cold in the middle of the summer, he must've lost a massive amount of blood.

"Oh! Let me get you something to… I… Can you wait here alone?" She asked him anxiously.

"Yeah." He whispered.

Shiho stood up but she just froze in her place and continued looking at him. She had an inner quarrel with herself, she had to go bring him a blanket but she didn't want to leave him alone like this, he was still losing a lot of blood and it was obvious on her white lab coat that was slowly turning crimson colored. If only the lab was crowded as in daytime.

"Hey relax, just go... It'll be okay" He softly said.

_Relax! It'll be okay!_

"I should be the one telling you that." She murmured, eyes staring at him worriedly.

Dai smiled again, thinking about how her hand was shaking on his skin when she measured his pulse. She seemed too nervous like he's never seen her before, and so he tried to smile to make her relax a bit.

"You don't have to, because I'm sure it'll be fine." He reassured, putting his entire trust in her.

Shiho looked at him for a second before turning on her heels and leaving. Just when she stepped outside her office she heard him groan. She felt her heart tighten and suddenly got the urge to cry but she had to be strong now, this was not the time for her to break down.

(*)

By 4 am, Riku sensei finished extracting the bullet successfully and sewed up the wound on Dai's abdomen. Shiho stood next to him throughout the whole process offering him a hand whenever he needed something. Dai laid there under the effect of general anesthesia.

When they finished, they moved Dai to another room. The scientist thanked the doctor and apologized for bringing him in at such a late hour, they both said goodbye and he left.

Shiho walked back to the room with slow steps, she sighed. She hadn't slept in almost 24 hours but she didn't feel the slightest bit of sleepiness. She grabbed a chair and sat next to Dai's bed.

She examined him closely, she never got to do this before but now that he was unconscious, it was her chance. Dai looked so peaceful after all the pain he went through. His skin was glowing with health and his lashes were long and thick contrasting the color of his skin. Shiho placed a hand on his shirtless body, tracing his chest with her fingers gently, she's never felt safer than in there, that day she hugged him, it was the safest she's ever felt…

For a second time, she brought herself down and hugged him obliviously. Dai felt warm. Shiho placed her head on his chest and listened to his steady heartbeats thankful that the surgery ended in success. What would she do if she'd lost him? She wasn't sure she could bear it. She lifted her head again and brought it closer to his face, she probably won't get another chance to examine him so closely so she needed to take in as much of him as she could now that he was unconscious and nobody was around.

Her eyebrows rose in the middle as she stared at him, faces centimeters away. His lips were so tempting to her but she just couldn't, she couldn't take advantage of him now that he was unaware of it, and she couldn't do this to her sister. Remembering Akemi felt agonizing to her, why did she fall for him from all people? The only person forbidden for her to love, why? Why didn't anyone else care for her? Why didn't anyone else have the courage to stop Gin for her? Why did it have to be him?

Shiho closed her eyes and brought her face closer to Dai's, printing a long kiss on his cheek, she then left the room before she does something else she regrets.

* * *

**Wow! I can't believe this is already in the tenth chapter! I didn't expect this to be so long but well... I just love these two.**

**Next chapter: Shuichi's recovery goes wrong. **


	11. Recovery

With confident steps, Shiho walked towards Dai's apartment. It's been months since she last been here, ever since the day she found him drunk but now that he was hurt, Akemi asked for her help redressing his wound.

It didn't take long for Akemi to answer the door. They both stood in Dai's living room for a minute.

"Shiho, could you tell him to be more careful? You're a scientist he'd listen to you. He's acting as if nothing happened, I turn for a minute and I find him tottering to the kitchen to get an apple, like can't he just ask?" Akemi whispered.

"Okay, I will." Shiho said. _How typical of him_! She knew he doesn't like to display weakness so to downplay his condition was just characteristic of him to do.

Akemi just nodded. She walked Shiho to the bedroom and opened the door.

"Dai kun, Shiho's here to redress your wound."

When Shiho looked past Akemi to the bed, she saw Dai laying on the mattress and he tried to sit up.

"No, don't move Dai san." The redhead warned.

"Shiho, take good care of him, I need to check the soup on the stove." Akemi said before leaving the bedroom. Shiho continued walking inside towards Dai.

"Is she making you chicken soup?" She murmured.

"I guess."

"Then good luck with eating that. I better leave before lunchtime."

"Is it that bad?" Dai asked.

"You have no idea!" She replied, amused.

Shiho placed her first aid bag and started unpacking it on the bed next to Dai. When she got her kit ready, she sat on a chair next to him and examined him with her eyes. Dai looked her back and blinked innocently.

"Ah, you should…" She looked at the sheet that covered him.

"Oh!... Yeah." Dai brought it down swiftly, exposing his shirtless body and the wound at the lower part of his abdomen.

Shiho removed the old dressing and examined the wound for a moment.

"That's a deep wound, Dai san. You need to rest and not move that area. So when you need something, make sure to ask someone else to bring it to you." Shiho said, turning to her kit.

"Did Akemi ask you to tell me that?"

"No!" She answered and he cocked an eyebrow in disbelieve. "Doesn't matter if she told me or not, what matters is that it's the right thing to do for a faster recovery."

Shiho spilled some disinfectant on the wound, she started rubbing it with a compress. The fact that she was putting Dai in pain made her hand weaken but she needed to do it. She glanced at Dai's face for a second, it looked quite neutral, she glanced back at the wound and then to his face again... he still showed no emotion.

"It's okay, I know this hurts. You don't have to play tough around me."

"I'm fine." Shuichi shrugged. Although it did hurt him like hell_._

Shiho smiled with disbelieve. _That dork, if he continues acting like this, denying his condition and walking around, he'll end up getting an infection._

"Dai san, bandaging up a wound only works if you keep it still. Once you start flexing that muscle blood will flow into that area causing the dressing to come lose and bleeding to recommence. In the worst case scenario you'll end up with a hemorrhage, but even if you don't, the dressing becoming lose on the skin will be a portal for bacteria. So don't move around or you'll get an infection, it'll be really bad and your recovery will take much longer." She explained. Dai responded with a hum after she took all of that time to lecture him, it irritated her. Shiho added with a whisper. "Not that I care."

"Don't you?" He asked. Shiho lifted her face and looked up at him annoyed. "Now in normal circumstances, I would believe you. To be honest I didn't know you care that much for me until I saw it with my own eyes."

_Is he seriously going to tease her about being worried for him the day he got shot? Well, maybe she was a little too much worried but still, he made her angry._ Her lips tightened and she pressed on his wound harder.

"Ouch!" Dai said, voice broken with a weak laugh.

"Now it hurts, doesn't it? If you get an infection, it'll be much worse."

"Alright, you rest your case."

(*)

'There's something I need to take care of at work. I'll keep the key under the mat'

Shiho read the text from Akemi before locking her phone and walking outside her apartment. She headed to Dai's. Yesterday she visited him at noon, close to lunchtime, but today, she decided to go early before heading to the lab.

Her slender fingers lifted the mat in search of the key. Shiho snatched it and unlocked the door carefully. She walked inside and slowly closed the door behind her. Her eyes examined the apartment, it was a nice place that Dai had. Shiho walked towards the bedroom and stood there for a second putting a hair strand behind her ear and lifting a fist to knock on the door and inform him of her presence, but before she could do, the door opened exposing, once again, Dai in nothing but boxers.

"Oh! It's just you." He mumbled.

"It's nice meeting you too, Dai san." She gazed at him. "You're moving around again? Didn't I tell you it's bad for your recovery."

"I heard the door open, I thought you were some thief."

"Didn't Akemi tell you she left me the key under the mat?"

"She did! That's why I thought you were a theif."

Only then that Shiho noticed what he was wearing, she felt her cheeks starting to flush. From his bare chest, she lifted her gaze to his eyes but oh no, that's not good too, those beautiful greens, she had to look somewhere else. She took a step back and turned her gaze in the other direction. _How could he continue talking calmly while wearing that? He has no __prudery! Is__ he even aware of the effect he has on her when he's like that? Pervert!_

Dai turned on his heels and tottered back to the bed, supporting himself by a hand on the wall.

"You could've put on something decent, since you knew I was coming." Shiho mumbled.

"You were due in two hours, how was I to know it was you coming now?"

Shiho stayed outside waiting for him to put on something, Shuichi got to the bed and covered himself with the bedsheets.

"Alright, you can come in now." Dai announced.

Shiho walked towards him. She started unpacking her first aid bag.

"Actually I was gonna come at noon, but then I moved you forward in my schedule."

Shuichi stared at Shiho who was busy preparing her kit. He recalled how much she worried about him that day, Her hand was literally shaking on his skin. It brought a smile to his face, despite the fact that she was raised in a criminal organization, she still had a good part in her, even if she acted like she doesn't._ How he wishes he could help her end her misery, if only she'd let him in._

Shiho caught him smiling. "What are you smiling about?"

"Nothing." He answered.

She looked at him trying to find an explanation "Pervert." She teased.

"It's not like that." His smile grew wider.

Shiho sighed and focused her gaze on the compress in her hand. She started cleaning the wound in silence. "What were you thinking, anyway?" She asked curiously after a while.

"I was thinking that you and your sister are no different. Although you try to act tough, deep inside you're a real softy just like Akemi."

Shiho didn't like being called a softy, she decided to ignore him and continue cleaning the wound.

"Really Shiho, thank you for everything… You saved my life." His eyes locked on hers.

_Dai showing emotions? That was new. _Looking at his thankful eyes melted Shiho's heart.

"Now who's the softy here?" She looked at him amused. "Did I make a mistake in your prescription dose?"

"I'm serious Shiho! I owe you one, so whenever you need help with anything!... Anything!... Just let me know." He looked at her with a serious expression, he knew what she needed help with and Shiho understood what he meant by anything, but none of them said it out loud.

"I only did my job Dai san." She responded, avoiding his gaze before he asks her another question.

(*)

"Sherry!... Sherry, Sherry, Sherry!" Gin said, walking around Shiho's living room. "Doesn't matter for how long I've known you, or how much I know about you, you never seize to surprise me."

Shiho followed him with her eyes from her spot on the couch, Gin walked closer and sat next to her.

"I heard you and Riko Sensei operated a surgery on Moroboshi."

"He was trying to avoid investigation and couldn't go to a hospital. He came to me shot so what do you want me to do? Leave him to die?"

"No! Of course not! That's not the problem." Gin lifted a hand and cupped her cheek. "It's in you going to his apartment when I explicitly told you not to."

"Gin, I'm just redressing his wounds, Akemi asked me to."

"And I asked you not to go there, so who are you going to listen to?" His gentle voice suddenly turned rough.

"It's just…"

"I don't care what it is! Don't go back there, Sherry!"

Sherry gazed at him in silence before nodding.

(*)

10 days had passed since Dai got shot, Shiho redressed his wounds twice before asking Akemi to find another nurse claiming that she's busy and can't visit him daily.

The redhead stared at her phone screen for a moment. 'I just remembered I have something to do tomorrow, we'll meet next week.' She sent.

Shiho took a sip from her wine glass. She really missed Akemi but her sister is staying in Dai's apartment to take care of him and she invited Shiho to have dinner there. Shiho can't possibly go there after Gin had warned. There's no good excuse to ask Akemi to leave her injured boyfriend alone and go have dinner with her outside, she couldn't risk disobeying Gin again either.

Her only option was to make up an excuse each week to cancel their Sunday meeting and it felt agonizing.

(*)

Shuichi was so sick of staying in bed for what seemed like a decade. He loved moving, let it be walking or running or even driving his car, just have the scenery change. For that reason, he wasn't so loyal to Shiho's advice and kept walking around more than he had to, but it wasn't enough to end his hunger for movement, he was eager to go out and work out and do everything like he used to before.

He saw Akemi walk past the bedroom door, she wasn't feeling well these days but she didn't tell him anything. Fortunately, he knew the cause. He'd always had a gift of uncovering what people hid, on the contrary, no one could guess what he was feeling, otherwise, he would've been uncovered long ago. But that shield he had was both a blessing and a curse because sometimes when he felt bad and needed to lean on someone, nobody could see through his shield.

"Akemi." He called.

The brunette stuck her head from the door.

"You've been walking back and forth for a while, is something wrong?"

"No Dai kun, it's nothing."

She didn't want to worry him now that he had his own problems to worry about. Shortly after, Akemi got inside and joined him in bed with a yawn.

"Baby girl!" Dai gently said.

Akemi smiled and hummed.

"What's wrong?"

She shook her head. "I told you it's nothing."

"Are you worried about Shiho?"

Akemi sighed! _Of course, he'd know! He always manages to know what she's thinking somehow_, but then maybe she is the one to blame for she was a terrible liar.

"Well, yeah. You know Dai kun, she's never missed a Sunday dinner for years, but now it's been three weeks and she missed all of them. I'm afraid that something happened to her and she doesn't want to tell me."

"I'm sure she's fine" He reassured, gently moving a strand of hair from her face.

"I'm afraid she won't meet me next Sunday too. I guess I won't text her, I'll just wait for her to text me."

"She must be busy working on the drug. Don't overthink it, she'll call you soon as she spares time."

"You think?"

"Of course... She loves you, I'm sure she's trying her best to meet you."

"I hope" Akemi said.

(*)

The microwave beeped. It was a Sunday and Shiho was supposed to meet Akemi in some fancy restaurant, instead, she was stuck home eating leftovers. She went to grab her food when she suddenly heard the phone ringing.

She headed to her bedroom and grabbed it. Shiho was surprised to see Dai's name pop up on her screen. This is the first time he calls her in a very long time. She thought maybe it's Akemi calling her using his phone, after all, Akemi didn't call to ask her to meet like she usually does. Shiho slid the green circle to the side and approached the phone to her ear.

"Hello!" She said, waiting to hear the voice of the brunette.

"Shiho!" A deep voice tickled her ears.

"Oh! Hey, Dai san."

"Hey, how are you?" _God his voice was like music to her ears, she could listen to him go on forever._

"I'm fine! And you, how's your wound?"

"I'm fine, it's getting better… Actually, I called to tell you to go meet Akemi, she's worried about you."

"There's no need to worry, I'm just a little busy."

"Just go meet her Shiho, she's in her apartment."

"I thought she's staying with you till your wound heals."

"Yes, but she's spending this night in her apartment, Just go visit her."

Earlier today, Shuichi sent Akemi home. It took him so long to convince her to leave him alone but he insisted telling her that he doesn't want to be a burden and that he'll be fine on his own. But in reality, he only sent her because he knew that Shiho will go meet her in her own apartment.

Shiho grinned but spoke with a monotonous tone. "Alright, maybe I'll go visit her later."

"It's because of Gin right? All those days you didn't meet her, he asked you not to come to my apartment didn't he?"

"No." Shiho mumbled cursing his sharpness. "In fact, I am really busy."

"Shiho!" His husky voice broke through the phone. "You don't have to play tough around me either."

She stayed silent for a while. "I'm not, Dai san, I was actually busy."

"Okay! Continue being busy, and I'll continue sending Akemi to her apartment every Sunday, and you continue making exceptions and cutting time to go see her there."

Shiho just smiled, thankful that he couldn't see her through the phone, _talk about someone so understanding!_

(*)

_(Ten days later)_

It was 11 pm. Shiho applied a coat of moisturizer and headed to bed when she heard a loud pound on the door. Her heart stopped for a moment from the sudden noise. Gin could come at this hour, but this is not the way he knocks unless his paranoia has gotten to him again. Shiho slowly walked to the door. No matter who the knocker is she won't open, even if it's Gin, if he's knocking like this, she better keep the door shut.

She looked through the peephole and saw Akemi standing behind the door. _What is Akemi doing at her door at such time?_

Shiho opened the door. Noticing the traces of tears in Akemi's eyes made her heart hammer. _What could've happened?_

"Akemi! What's wrong?"

"Shiho!" Her face twisted and she looked as if she was going to cry again. "Dai kun, something's happened to him, he wouldn't respond to me."

"What?"

"He wasn't feeling good since morning but he told me he'll be fine and I went out all day. When I came back, I found him unconscious… I was so stupid, I shouldn't have listened to him. I went to Natsuki but…" Akemi broke in tears.

Natsuki was Akemi's friend, she recently lost her father so Akemi spent the entire day with her leaving Dai alone at home.

"He's gonna be okay just calm down." Shiho breathed, pulling her sister to a hug to calm her down.

"I couldn't take him to a hospital so I drove here… come with me Shiho."

The youngest pulled back and stared into Akemi's eyes "Akemi, I can't."

"What?" The brunette asked through her tears.

"I…" Shiho swallowed, _screw Gin!_ "Just let me get my shoe."

Akemi drove fast. She was lucky they didn't get into an accident with her blurred vision from the tears.

"So how come he wasn't feeling well this morning?" Shiho asked, hanging to her seatbelt.

"His cheeks were flushed and he had a high fever… His temperature's been high for some days but he said he's okay." Her voice suddenly broke. "I shouldn't have believed him."

Shiho placed her hand on Akemi's.

For Shiho, everything pointed towards infection, he must've moved around as she advised against. But to have a generalized fever and eventually lose consciousness, this meant it started a while ago and was left untreated and so, it evolved to spread throughout his body.

They finally made it to his apartment. They ran to the bedroom.

Shuichi was laying on bed, thick drops of sweat covered his forehead. Shiho placed her hand on him, his skin was burning. She checked the wound and it confirmed her doubts.

"Is he going to be okay?" Akemi asked worriedly.

"Yeah." Shiho reassured. "It's a systemic infection. We need some antibiotics and a saline bag, we better go to the lab, we have all the equipment needed there."

Akemi nodded. "Come on, let's go now."

(*)

Sherry connected the saline bag containing the antibiotics to Dai's veins. That night, she didn't go back to her apartment, she stayed with Akemi. When the morning approached, she left the bedroom and went to sleep on Dai's couch leaving Akemi who stayed by his side all night. Akemi couldn't sleep at all, and Shiho couldn't sleep much either, they both couldn't stop worrying about Dai.

When morning came, Shiho prepared breakfast and stayed with her sister to support her.

"If you want, I could stay here with him and you could go to the funeral." Shiho offered when Akemi told her about Natsuki's loss and the funeral that was planned for today.

Akemi shook her head.

"Hey." The redhead placed a hand on her sister's "He's going to be fine, this condition is more frequent than you think and with the right medications you don't need to worry."

"Really?"

Shiho nodded. "Just go Akemi, your friend needs you."

Akemi nodded. She got up and hugged her sister.

Soon as Akemi left the apartment, Shiho walked to the bedroom. The room was kept dark by the curtains despite the morning light, she sat on the chair Akemi placed next to the bed and examined Dai, hoping that he'd wake. She placed her hand on his cheek and found that his temperature was still high, but there was a slight Improvement.

Just when she touched his skin, Dai's eyelids twitched and he moved his head a little to the side.

Shiho heard him whispering something. She knew that delirium was a common side effect of fever, she felt curious to know what he was dreaming of and so she approached him and listened attentively... "Haru… No…" His head turned in the other direction.

It was a nightmare! Shiho shook him to wake him. Her heart tightened when she realized he still gets nightmares for this.

"Dai san!"

"No!" He whispered again, breathing heavied.

"Dai san!" She called again, louder.

Dai was pulled into his own mind, she could see small drops of water glimmering at the corner of his eyes and thick drops of sweat tracing his forehead. She didn't even want to imagine what horrifying scenes he was seeing.

Shiho cupped his cheeks. "Dai san, please wake up."

That's when his green eyes opened. He was still breathing heavily when he found her face so close to his. Shuichi lifted his hand and weakly pulled her closer by her shirt. Shiho's face went down and dived inside the crook between his neck and shoulder. She felt his arms slowly crawl to encircle her.

That's where all the safety in the world laid, here is warmth, here there's no Gin or anyone else that could hurt her. She enjoyed the moment with closed eyes. Shiho felt the urge to kiss his neck and that was her warning, she needs to end this before she does something she regrets.

Just when she moved back, she felt Dai's arm pull her back in. For a brief moment, she felt hope. Although she'd never want to stab Akemi in the back, but the realization that she has a slight chance with Dai...

"Don't go" He mumbled. "...Akemi!"

Remembering her place, Shiho freed herself from him and stood up.

_Of course, it's Akemi! How could she even think otherwise?_ She changed the IV drip to the fastest speed, hoping that the morphine will cause him to have no memory of this incident when he regains full consciousness. Within moments he was asleep again. That's when she left the room.

(*)

Shiho stood in the balcony watching the sunset. It was then that the door was knocked. _Finally, Akemi's here!_ Now she could go back to her apartment and heal her own wounds from the pain she went through. She headed to the door and opened it only to find…

"Gin!" she exclaimed.

"In the flesh." He grinned at her, taking a step to the inside and forcing her to retreat. "Bet you didn't expect to see me here."

"I-"

"Save it! I didn't find you home yesterday, I figured maybe you went to your sister, but when you didn't show up at work today, I paid a visit to Akemi's apartment, but nobody was there, so I thought there's only one place left to look in."

"Gin, let me explain! Yesterday-"

"What's there to explain?" He suddenly yelled and she jumped in reflex. "Where's that fucker?" He turned his head around looking for Dai before walking towards the first door he saw, it was the bedroom.

Shiho grabbed him by the arm. "Gin, listen to me! Dai had a bad infection and Akemi asked me to help, I couldn't have said no." She walked with him inside the bedroom as her attempts to pull him back failed, her strength was no match for his.

Gin went inside and found Dai laying unconscious.

"See! I had to come to-"

"You didn't have to come!" He interrupted, kicking the pole that held the saline bag. "You weren't supposed to come after I'd warned you twice... TWICE Sherry. Do you think because I disregarded it before you could do whatever you want?"

"Gin, please, Calm down! I only came here to offer my help as a scientist. He's unconscious, nothing could've happened."

"What happened is that you disobeyed me, Sherry, twice." He glared at her. "I'm not letting it pass easily this time, let's go now."

Shiho looked at Dai, and then back at Gin who walked outside the bedroom, she followed the silver haired man leaving the other behind.

(*)

Gin parked his car in front of a warehouse, Shiho left the car feeling uneasy, _where the hell is he taking her?_ She stood in her place next to the black Porsche.

"Come on." He said.

She followed him inside hesitantly. If Dai were to be okay, she would've asked for his help. What would be the point of hiding it all from him when she was about to die?

Once they got in, Gin held her upper arm forcing her to follow his fast steps. He walked her to a metallic wall and pushing her violently against it.

"You bitch! Did you think I won't find out about you spending the night there?"

"Gin, he had a systemic infection, he could've died if I didn't intervene."

"To hell with him. You think I give a shit if he dies or not?" Gin yelled causing her to retreated her head. His gun pressed on her chin lifting it higher. Shiho's legs were barely able to keep her standing.

"My sister does! She came to me crying, I couldn't have said no."

"Don't you have any respect for me, sherry?" Gin pressed the gun further to her chin.

"… I do, Gin." She answered, feeling her breathing quicken. Shiho was frightened, she knew exactly what Gin was capable of. Killing her here would be to him as easy as eating a piece of cake.

"Then why would you disobey me? You know how much I hate that don't you?"

"yes, I know... I'm sorry."

"I've already got a bunch of apologies, that's all you do before fucking things up everytime."

"No no no, I won't do it again, Gin... Please, just put the gun down."

"Why should I?" He yelled, moving it to her temple. "You lied to me before, why should I believe you this time?"

"Because… because." Her mind was blank, she felt like at every second, he could press the trigger and send her to her death. "Just put the gun down so we could talk."

"I won't sherry, not this time."

"Gin please!" Shiho closed her eyes not even aware of how those shaky limbs could keep her standing, glimmering tears started invading her blues and they were so clear in the corner of her eyes. "I fucked up, and I'm sorry, I won't do it again."

It was the first time Gin sees sherry cry, he broke her, he broke her arrogance and her pride, he got the confirmation that he still had the power over her, that's when he lowered his gun.

* * *

**Hello! ****I hope there wasn't too much drama in this chapter because I genuinely dislike too much drama. **

**Next chapter: Shiho caught Shuichi in the act, Her poisonous words scold him.**


	12. Betrayal

After months of recovery, Shuichi got finally fit again. He got a call from Gin this morning and he was hyped to go back on the field.

Dai headed to the meeting place early as usual. He found a motorcycle parked in front of the abandoned warehouse. He wondered to whom it belonged and got inside in search of an answer.

Dai's footsteps echoed inside the spacious place. He spotted vermouth sitting on a chair in the middle of the big interior. Vermouth was an actress, so it was no wonder that she had that movie star look, willowy and breathtaking. Her platinum blonde hair laid perfectly on her shoulders accentuating her undeniable beauty.

She sat in her place and eyed the agent as he walked towards her.

"Somebody's early." He said, walking confidently to the inside.

"You're early too."

For five days the actress has been in Japan, Gin didn't visit her once. It kind of angered her. Usually, he'd come, Unless it was Sherry, of course! Sherry's the only person that could cause Gin to forget about her existence. _She might as well make him angry for doing this, if he traded her for another woman, then she could trade him for another man._

"I'm always early." Dai said, looking proud of his punctuality.

"If that's the case, then I'll make sure to never be late for a meeting."

Dai eyed her for a second before lowering his gaze to his wristwatch.

"What time is it?" Vermouth asked.

"Five thirty"

"Then we still have time." She grinned, tilting her head to the side and looking him up and down. "Now we could either waist it in silence, or we could invest it in something more… interesting."

Shuichi stopped walking when he thought he was close enough to her. "I prefer silence."

"A man of few words, just as I heard."

Vermouth stood up with a small grin tickling her lips and started walking towards him seductively, biting her lower lip with determination. She was wearing a black leather motorcycle suit that traced her curves tightly, keeping it unzipped at the top for a final sexy look. Her blue eyes glimmered staring at him with desire.

Shuichi just stared at her in silence. She stopped right in front of him, a little too close, and stared him into the eye.

"Vermouth, If you're hinting to what I think you're hinting, then I'm still seeing someone." He looked at her calmly. _He was sure that Gin told her he had someone before, so why is she all over him now?_

The blonde just laughed for a moment. "I'm not hinting for you to marry me... Come to think of it I do have someone too." Her voice lowered as she went on "But it's always fun to try it with another someone when they're good enough, you know, each of us has their own flavor."

"Vermouth, I…"

At that moment, she walked closer and pressed herself against him, her fingers touched him in a way that no man could resist, if he weren't to have really really incredible self control, he would've been drowned in her acts. Dai placed a hand on her shoulder, pushing her back before taking a step backward out of her reach. Just when he did, a sound broke through the silence.

"What do we have here?" Gin grinned in amusement. He turned to Shiho who was standing next to him. "You might wanna tell that to your sister, sherry."

Shiho stayed silent but her narrowed eyes burned holes in Dai. Dai stood in his place looking back at her, he then moved his gaze to Gin.

"It's not what you think." He said.

"It's what I see." Gin countered. Shuichi tried to protest, but Gin beat him to it. "As for tomorrow…"

The silver haired man kept talking about their upcoming mission, not giving Dai a chance to explain.

(*)

Shuichi rode the elevator to the fifth floor with one goal in mind; explaining things to Shiho. It was all a stupid misunderstanding not worth ruining his relationship with his long term girlfriend. Akemi didn't call him so she doesn't know yet.

Shiho caught the eye of him at her office door. "What are you doing here?" She mouthed.

Knowing that she might get loud, Shuichi got inside and closed the door.

"About earlier, it's not what you think." He calmly said.

"I saw you with my own eyes! But the last thing you expected was to see me…" Shiho replied, her tone was much drier, much angrier and much louder than his. "...You're no different than Gin."

"Hey, Don't compare me to that bastard." Shuichi was trying to keep his calm though her last words made him a little angry. He didn't even do anything wrong to deserve this.

"There's too much to compare." She replied dryly.

"At least I don't abuse my girlfriend." And he attacked back.

"Oh yeah?" _This was between him and Akemi, she won't let him turn it about her._ "Don't even mention her name… you don't deserve her."

"Don't talk to me like that! I told you it's a misunderstanding."

"Bullshit!" She raised her voice. "I saw you, you only stopped when you heard us walking in."

"I did not even hear you!"

"Then why'd you stop?"

"Because I never intended to do it in the first place, she came up to me."

"Maybe she did, but you sure as hell enjoyed it." At this point, Shiho forgot about Akemi and was fighting him solely for her own purpose, because she loved him and she was jealous. Gin always left her for Vermouth and she can't have her take away Dai too.

"It didn't last, I stopped her soon as it started… Shiho, I love Akemi, I would never do anything like this to hurt her."

_Of course, he loves Akemi!_ There she got another confirmation, now it came straight from his lips to her ear, shattering any hope she had. She doesn't even want him to 'not love Akemi', she doesn't want to hurt her sister but despite knowing it's wrong, she couldn't help but feel jealous, that mixed with anger fueled her.

"Stop acting as if you're some saint, you would never do that, you would never do this, when all you do is shit."

"What are you talking about?"

"Just get out of my office." She shook her head.

"I'm not leaving until we clear this out, cause if you're planning to tell Akemi about this, you'll only ruin our relationship for no good reason."

"There are lots of good reasons to end this relationship, don't even get me started."

"As far as I'm concerned there aren't any."

"Yes there is." She tightened her lips. "Solely the fact that she loves you when you are who you are is enough… You don't deserve what she gives you, you don't deserve HER."

"What are you saying, Shiho?" Shuichi asked in a low voice with a hint of worry.

"You're telling me you're different than Gin when you're exactly the same. What's the difference? Tell me?" Shiho lashed out. She pointed her index at his chest as she went on enraged. "If you forgot then I remind you, you're a murderer and your hands are stained in blood as much as his! ... My poor sister might not know, but how many lives did you take working for Gin? How many people did you kill?... I bet you even lost count."

The mention of that seemed to hit a nerve for Shuichi. His green eyes widened and his lips pursed, she could've sworn his skin turned pale almost immediately. Dai turned around, got out of the office and slammed the door loudly behind him.

Only when she saw how he looked at her that Shiho realized how critical what she had said. Her words had hit him much harder than she intended. Shiho regretted her words immediately. She knew he had a good conscience and used it to get back at him, this was too low of her.

(*)

Shuichi supported his forearms on the balcony's fence, looking at the city lights. He felt a sudden emptiness inside of him, a bitter feeling he's been covering for as long as this infiltration took. He's been part of the organization for one year and a half now, and he's been dealing with shit ever since the first day, but all the incidents he pushed to the back of his mind suddenly resurfaced and collected all together only to come back to him all at once.

He waited for the sky to darken making it a suitable time to get his usual bourbon glass like he does every night. He went to the inside and grabbed a bottle, he poured the amber liquid, filling the glass to the top and walked back to his armchair.

He's never lost count, he still remembers every soul he harvested as if it was yesterday, he could see them so clearly and he still dreams about them at night. At morning, he tries to act casual but they were eating him inside every night when he couldn't sleep. Sometimes he feels thankful for his insomnia because it prevented the awful nightmares, but other times he feels too exhausted and wishes for only one hour of sleep to recharge him.

He's always tried to convince himself that he was doing it for the better good, that he was different than those killers, he was a savior and he was trying to make the world a better place. But only when Shiho brought to his attention how similar he was to Gin that he realized it, who was he kidding? He's no different! He's a murderer, even a member of that damned organization looks down on him for that. He sunk deep enough that he transformed into Dai Moroboshi, he was not even faking it anymore, Akai Shuichi and Dai Moroboshi fused, and Dai was the one with the biggest share.

One glass of bourbon turned into two, two turned into five, a confused mind and a dizzy balance.

He needed to speak to somebody, he knew it all along but never wanted to admit it or take action, but now that he was drunk, the voice of reason was silenced and nothing but his feelings drove him.

Who could he talk to? Certainly not Akemi! He doesn't want her to hear details about the atrocity of his acts. And his FBI colleagues are out of the question for the same reason. The only person that already knows his doing is the same person that started it all, but at this point, he just doesn't care anymore.

(*)

Shiho didn't tell Akemi about the incident. She knew Vermouth and how she acts so Dai's argument of her coming to him wasn't really that farfetched. And knowing Dai, she could easily believe he was telling the truth.

Shiho walked next to her floor to ceiling window back and forth. She was so angry at herself for what she said to him, he was the only one to feel guilt but she rubbed it in his face, he gets nightmares for it, but she spit it to him like venom. _He must be feeling terrible now! _Just the thought of it saddened her.

Shiho thought about going to Dai to fix what she broke but she remembered Gin's warning. She headed to her bedroom instead but she just kept on turning from side to side for hours unable to sleep, until a vibration of her phone broke the silence. She turned and grabbed it from the nightstand.

Seeing Dai's name on the screen made her feel a little nervous, _What could he want from her at this late hour after what she said earlier?_ She took in a deep breath and picked up.

"Dai san!"

"Shiho!" he said. She stayed silent for a while waiting for him to say more but all she heard back was his steady breathing.

"Is everything okay?"

"No, no Shiho, it's not." He slurred, and she immediately knew he was drunk.

"Is this about what I said earlier? … I didn't really mean it. I was just angry and I wasn't thinking clearly… I'm sorry."

"No, you were right!" He said, with full conviction.

"You do know that I don't really believe what I said to you." She asked.

He hummed.

After a moment of silence, Shiho spoke again. "Okay, then, I guess I'll go now."

"Wait! Shiho." He stopped her. "Can you… Can you come here?"

(*)

Gin might've warned her but to hell with him! She messed up and she needed to correct it. Shiho got to Dai's door and knocked. Dai staggered to the door and opened. When his eyes met hers, she felt a little embarrassed from what she did, but she acted nonchalantly.

"I came, as you asked."

"Come in." Dai said.

Shiho's head moved slightly backward, the smell of bourbon was so strong in his mouth. This time, unlike the other time, he was clearly drunk. She stood inside and watched him closed it unsteadily.

"Why'd you ask me to come?"

"I needed someone to talk to." He plainly answered. It was the best part of having a drunken Dai around, no beating around the bush, he goes straight to the point with all honesty.

_But then why did he call her of all people? She was the one to cause him this!... Could it be he mistook her for Akemi Again?_ Although he did call her name on the phone, Shiho wanted to make sure.

"Why didn't you call Akemi?"

"I wanted to talk to you."

Now that this was cleared out, Shiho proceeded. "Dai san, I didn't truly mean what I said… You're not really like Gin"

"I am just like him…I'm a murderer." He slurred. The conviction in his eyes worried her and as he spoke, she could feel the bitterness in his voice. _How can she fix this now?_

Dai turned on his heels and preceded her to the living room. She watched him stagger his way barely able to keep his balance.

"No, you're different than him." She said, following his steps. _If only he could know! Them two, they don't even compare._

"I'm no different." He said, falling heavily onto the couch.

Shiho stood beside him taking a look around. She noticed an ashtray on the coffee table filled with tens of cigarettes, one of which still leaking the stinky smoke. And a half-filled glass of bourbon with a bottle next to it that didn't have much left. For her, this much alcohol signified liver cancer and a bunch of other health problems. The fact that this was all of her doing made her feel horrible.

She saw him reach for the glass of bourbon, raising it closer to his lips, but before he could sip, Shiho grabbed it from his hand.

"You should not drown your problems in alcohol." She murmered.

Shuichi didn't protest, he just turned his head to look forward focusing a glassy look on nothing. Shiho joined him on the couch.

"Why are you doing this if you could just leave? I still don't understand!" She spoke softly. She figured now that he's drunk, she could try to extract information from him again after failing on the last time. "You're one of the good guys, Dai san, aren't you?"

"I'm not a good guy." He ironically smiled for a second before turning all serious again. "I killed people, Shiho… I killed innocent people." He slurred and she placed a comforting hand on his elbow, gently tracing his upper arm. He was looking straight at her and the look on his face was pure agony. "How can I…? How?..." He trailed off.

This time, it was Dai who reached for a hug, pulling her faint body closer to his. _How can he ever get over that? How can he ever forget that? How can he get help for his guilty _conscience_? _Is what he wanted to say, but he couldn't finish the sentence.

He just encircled her between his long arms, burying his face onto her shoulder. Shiho felt him shrinking under her arms as she encircled him back. His back was hunched and his head was tilted downwards to rest on her shoulder where he hid his face in pain. For a second time, she found herself his companion at his weakest moments.

They stayed like that for a very long time.

Shiho felt her body weaken from his closeness, she inhaled his hair, it smelled sweet. Dai was all hers now, she had him so close, who knows when she'll ever get a chance to do this again? She had to take in every moment of it. She lowered her head again, her lips gently pressed on his hair in a long kiss. When she ended it, Dai pulled back and looked at her questionably.

His green eyes in the poor lighting took their usual sexy shade. Shiho stared him back with their faces so close, he smelled of bourbon and of a delicious aftershave scent.

This will be her last chance to get what she wants, she's been thinking of Dai everyday for over seven months now and she longed for his touch, for his kiss, but she never wanted to stab Akemi in the back. But now, she couldn't hold herself, _one kiss won't hurt, she thought. _She actually deserves it, Akemi has him all for herself so there's no bother in her getting something as little as a kiss from him.

She closed her eyes and printed her lips on his, it took him only three seconds to kiss back and it immediately made her groan. How she longed for this, the taste of bourbon, Dai san, she felt like she's flying in ecstasy as she grabbed his shirt tightly. This was nothing like the ones she shared with Gin, this was something heavenly. She felt her heart beating a thousand beat per minute with her going and going and with every second, her kiss got more demanding, more demanding than his, more demanding than all of the kisses she shared with Gin, she was hungry for Dai's taste.

After a while, part of her conscience awakened reminding her that she should stop this before it proceeds to other things. She was the sober one so she had to take the reasonable choice and end what she started. But she just couldn't, she just kept going on and on, with her slender fingers on the back of his head holding him by his long hair, creating fists around his strands and pulling his head closer to her face. _How could she deprive herself of that?_

When Akemi crossed her mind, her motives grew. Shiho started slowing down before pulling back from his embrace panting. Dai blinked at her without comprehending why she'd stopped. Shiho cupped his cheeks, she was using all the self control she had in the world to stop herself from doing it again, she loved him so much, more than she ever imagined, more than she admitted to herself. She loved him so much that it hurts.

"You're a good man, Dai san." She whispered underneath her breath before getting up and leaving.

* * *

**Next chapter: Shiho suffers the consequences of her kiss.**

**Thank you, everyone, for reading! Hope you enjoyed :) ****Thank you for whoever left me a review! Especially Ashly, 75aichan and My dear ShuShi...**

**(PS: This chapter was inspired by a dear reader of this fanfic.)**


	13. Consequences

Shiho's blues flickered open announcing the beginning of a new day. The first thought to cross her mind was Dai, it didn't even strike her anymore for it became a daily routine; He is the one to cross her mind every time she wakes, whenever she's alone, whenever she sees a couple, or a coffee, or a drink, or a book, he was somehow related to everything.

Now Shiho got away with a lot of things before, she kissed him when he was under the effect of anesthesia and he didn't know it, she hugged him when he had an infection and he had no memory of it too. But this time, she was certain he knew because he kept on avoiding her.

An entire month had passed since that incident and she didn't see him since. She should've known better than to kiss him. Yet it was totally worth it that if she got a chance to do it again, she would still do it.

Dai was nowhere near the lab, not at her sister's, just nowhere to be seen in the places she visits. Shiho was nervous in the first week fearing that he might tell Akemi –It would certainly break her sister's heart to know that they kissed, but with each weekend she met her she found her unaware of it.

Shiho knew she'd messed up and she felt guilty for it. Akemi's ignorance only helped to make her feel worse. Not only that she took advantage of Dai being drunk, but she stabbed her sister in the back too.

Sometimes, She gets convinced that she doesn't deserve love. What's there to love about her? She works for a criminal organization and she's developing a traceless poison, and she'd betrayed the only person that actually loves her. Shiho was drawn in a loop of sadness due to that.

Dai loves Akemi so much, the kiss that meant so much for Shiho probably didn't mean anything to him and didn't affect him to the least. Shiho felt bad for herself more than for her sister, it was her who has to endure the suffering of unrequited love while Akemi and Dai could continue their perfect relationship.

Sometimes she wonders if it's better this way with Dai avoiding her. She really doesn't know how their meeting will go, it will probably be too awkward so maybe it is better like this. Shiho thought that with time she'll forget him, she tried to take advantage of the opportunity of them not meeting to try and get him out of her mind but she just couldn't. If anything, she's thinking about him even more.

Shiho rolled out of bed. She just woke up yet she already felt tired. Her thoughts were draining her energy with every passing moment, sucking away her weight. She was like a living zombie, moving and working but dead on the inside.

Sunday used to be the escape from her sorrow but now it felt more like an obligation. Seeing Akemi has turned into a reminder of all the bad thoughts that hunt her. Shiho was exhausted and needed rest from people but didn't skip seeing Akemi once. She couldn't punish Akemi for something she had no hand in. It was her own fault and she had to take responsibility for it.

To avoid having to stay for long, Shiho told Akemi that she won't have dinner and that she'll visit her shortly at lunchtime instead.

It was almost lunchtime when the redhead arrived. The brunette welcomed her with a wide smile and invited her in. Shiho didn't even bother looking for Dai. He stopped coming on Sundays since the day they kissed.

The sisters sat in the living room.

"You look tired" Akemi commented.

" I'm fine." Shiho muttered.

"You're not!" She poked her sister's arm lightly. "You're working a lot, You should get some rest. Maybe we can go on vacation together, what do you think?"

Akemi's innocent look and soft smile were like daggers to Shiho's heart. She examined her for a moment. "I can't right now I'm so bu-"

"…So busy!" Akemi finished her sister's sentence. "Yeah I know! Just try to take some time for yourself, you work so hard so you deserve a rest, I don't think anokata would decline."

Shiho just nodded.

At that exact moment, the key turned in the door and Dai appeared from the entrance. His intense gaze moved between the two sisters examining them with a stern look before fixing on Akemi. Shiho felt her heart tremble when he glanced at her. She was not expecting to see him and was scared of his reaction, but at the same time, she couldn't take her eyes off of him after an entire month of not seeing him.

"Hey!" He said in a dry tone, looking at Akemi.

"Hi! You came just in time." Akemi chirped "Shiho's here!"

"I'm not staying here for long Akemi, I came to get my laptop I left it here somewhere." He said with a monotonous tone, eyes searching the place for the device.

Shiho felt annoyed. _He didn't even say hi to her. She messed up but does he have to be this rude?_ Not willing to be an unwanted company, she got to her feet. This meeting was no better than solitude anyway.

"No you could stay, I'm leaving" Shiho said. If he can't stand being in the same room with her then she'll make it easier for him.

"But why? I could barely get the both of you in the same room but every time it happens one of you has to leave." Akemi protested.

"I told you yesterday that I can't stay for long. I'm working on a report." Shiho said before leaving.

When the door closed, Akemi turned to her boyfriend. "Is there something going on between you two?"

Shuichi stopped his searching and turned to faced her. "No, it's nothing. Why?"

"Nothing, I just feel like you two haven't been getting along lately."

"That's not true, we're just… too busy." He reassured. "Now help me find my PC."

Shuichi hated Shiho for forcing him to lie to Akemi. If she weren't to kiss him he wouldn't have had to lie. Not only that he used Akemi to get into the organization, he kissed her sister, and now he's lying to her. He's like cancer to her life, but he can only tell her his truth when the infiltration is over.

He did gain an alcoholic name two months ago and he's an executive member now. Yet he still had a feeling that the infiltration will still take long. Now, he no longer reports to Gin and he reports straight to the boss, but the only thing he knew about him was the number to text, no name, no hint, just nothing… The upside though is that he doesn't have to work exclusively under Gin, now he gets to go on missions while he's in charge, and he gets to work with different members, more pleasing ones like scotch and bourbon.

(*)

Shiho left Akemi's apartment. She stood at the building entrance watching the streets flooding with water. Her driver said he'll be there in 20 minutes. Ten minutes later, he texted that he's stuck in traffic so he'll arrive later. Frustrated, Shiho walked outside the building, _she better find herself a taxi instead of waiting for the driver._

The taxi she'd stopped parked 2 meters away and another lady hopped in. Shiho cursed Dai.

The heavy rain continued pouring. The umbrella didn't do Shiho much with water soaking her legs. Her heel got stuck in a metal grate and she almost twisted her ankle, and to add to her misery, a big truck splashed water all over her boots. She cursed Dai again for causing her to deal with this. _It was all his fault_. _That idiot! _

If he'd really just came for the PC, she would've seen him leave when she was waiting for her driver. But nope, he was just making an excuse to avoid her. _All because of a stupid kiss! He's such a drama queen! Why did she even like him? Right now, she really hates him._

A while had passed with no taxi passing. Shiho felt her legs soaked. Just as she stood cursing him, Dai's Chevy passed in front of her. It was a rare car to find in Japan so it had to be the damned Dai Moroboshi! He didn't even slow down. _That jerk! He just drove past her! How she hated him right now!_

After preceding Shiho with meters, Dai suddenly pressed the brakes. He drove the car in reverse against traffic and stopped in front of her. He opened the window. Shiho stared at him fiercely.

"Get in." He said.

"I'm waiting for my driver." She coldly said. Shiho wanted to be alone and didn't need another thing to make her day any worse. She had no desire to get in the car with Dai. Not after he drove past her.

"I saw you stopping a taxi." Shuichi said, leaning and opening the door to the passenger's seat for her. "They won't stop for you when you're soaked."

She sighed. _Why does he have to be always right? She'd ruin their seat if they stop for her._

The redhead took a step closer and got inside. She was expecting Dai to talk about that day, to fight her or make any reaction now that they were alone, but Dai just kept silent. And she just knew that when he decides to be silent he never brakes his decision, those words he just said will be his last unless she talks.

So he doesn't want to talk about what happened, neither does she but what would silence do them? The air between them had turned toxic. They need to talk about that incident when all they did was avoid it, but Shiho knew that they have to, whether they like it or not. She didn't know how to start or what to say though.

Shiho was resting her head on the window, she turned to face Dai suddenly and found him focused on the road.

"Dai san, I think we should talk…" When she received no reaction, she continued. "… about the other day."

Shuichi sighed. He seriously did not want to discuss this. _That's why he avoided her for weeks. Why did he let her into his car? Of course she'd bring it up._

"It was a mistake, Shiho, and it shouldn't have happened. There's no need to talk about it." Dai said, eyes on the road.

"I still think that we should." She insisted, hiding her nervousness behind a mask of calmness.

It was hard for her to press where it hurts but she had to, they can't remain the way they are right now. Shuichi spent a while thinking in silence. Shiho swallowed, she felt her heart race while waiting for his response.

"Alright, you wanna talk about it? Let's talk about it. Why'd you kiss me?" Dai frowned with obvious anger.

"I don't know what I was thinking honestly. I was tired and wasn't thinking clearly and… It just happened." She answered, sincerely.

"That's no good reason, Shiho! You shouldn't have done it." Shuichi said with bitterness, a bitterness that Shiho failed to understand, and felt hurt by.

"That was not your opinion when you kissed back." She said, this time with a hint of anger.

"I was drunk!"

"Well still, why are you so salty about it? It was just a kiss, it didn't mean anything."

"Not if it meant more to you!" Dai interjected.

At this moment, Shiho felt even more hurt. For him to be confident that the kiss meant more to her, that she had feelings for him! It was just humiliating to have him think that. Even if it's true, him knowing it is different. And the fact that he was so angry about her kissing him rubbed salt in her wound. Doesn't he realize how much his words hurt her?

"You surely are so confident to think that. If that's your concern then don't worry, I have no feelings for you." She lied.

"If not then why'd you do it?" He still sounded angry. Again, the conviction in his voice came to her heart like daggers. Shiho swallowed hard.

"I told you I wasn't thinking clearly, but it meant nothing. I didn't feel ANYTHING when I did it." She lied again. Dai's hands tightened on the driving wheel.

"But you gave me a reason to lie. And you were the one to fight me thinking I'd cheated with vermouth. Now I kissed Akemi's sister and I have to hide it from her."

Shuichi allowed himself to lie about his identity, but other than that, he was truthful in his relationship with Akemi. He's never cheated on her. He was as good as a boyfriend could be in hope of compensating using her. But now, he kissed her sister and he has to lie to her to not hurt her. It angered him.

"You did not cheat, I initiated it. It was just a kiss, it didn't mean anything... Don't you think you're giving this whole thing a size bigger than it deserves?" Shiho spoke gently, focusing her gaze on him while he stared at the road ahead.

She couldn't understand all the fuss about him cheating when he did not, she was the one to initiate it and she made it clear that it meant nothing to her, so why all of the anger if the kiss was meaningless?

This was not enough to end Shuichi's anger._ A size bigger than it deserves, how could she say that? If Akemi hears about it, it would hurt her and he can't stand her hurting because of him. If anything could hurt her, he'd see it as the biggest deal in the universe._

Shuichi nodded with both eyes on the road and lips tightened. He was right to avoid her, talking won't fix shit. "As I said, it's pointless to talk about it now. So let's just finish this ride in silence."

"But we can't just-" Shiho protested.

"Didn't you hear what I said?" Dai interrupted, glaring at her from the corner of his eye.

_How could he be so cruel, so cold, so rude? Was this even the same Dai she knew? The one she fell in love with? How could he punish her like this for a kiss?_ Shiho crossed her arms and turned to face the window. Her lips were pursed for the rest of the ride.

Dai dropped her off in front of her building and left. Shiho regretted getting in the car with him. If she had known he was so angry about it she wouldn't have spoken to him, hell she would've been the one to avoid him instead.

Shiho walked inside her apartment and took a seat on the first chair that encountered her. Dai's words had deeply hurt her even if he didn't realize it. _That's what he thought of her; a pathetic girl that loved her sister's boyfriend. And despite thinking it, he still made it clear that she was unwanted, that her kiss was just trouble for him, a meaningless act, that all of her existence was unwanted and treated by avoidance. Is it that easy for him to cut her off from his life entirely? Does she mean this little to him?_

The pounding on the door interrupted her train of thought. She doesn't even know for how long she's been sitting there. Shiho got to her feet and walked to the door determined to kick whoever was knocking, she was in a black mood and did not want to see anyone.

"Sherry!"

It was Gin. _Shit! She forgot about him._ She hadn't seen him in a month now, ever since he held a gun on her. That's what he does every time he fucks up, he stays away for a couple of weeks before coming back as if nothing had happened, and dammit does he pick a good time?

This time though, Shiho didn't feel angry to have him come back, she didn't feel afraid or annoyed. Her thoughts were on another man.

"Gin, get out of here." She mouthed.

"Wow wow wow!" He raised his hands in the air. "That's not a nice greeting, you need to calm down."

"Leave now, before I-"

"Before you what?" He looked at her amused.

_What was she thinking anyway? Before she Calls the security?_ That was a stupid sentence to say, she can't do anything about him being here.

"Whatever!" She muttered. Shiho walked past him. "You stay here, I'll leave."

Shiho took a step in the building hallway when Gin grabbed her wrist. She brushed his hand away.

"Fuck off" She snapped.

Gin had always found Sherry sexier when angry. What attracted him to her at the beginning was her arrogance and coldness towards everyone, including him. But when she gets angry, it's like another level of attractiveness. One month without his Sherry was a lot to bear, he missed her. Gin extended a hand tracing her skin, Shiho brushed it angrily.

"What is wrong with you? You put a gun to my head and try to kill me then appear here as if nothing had happened and act as if you want me?" She yelled.

"I'm not acting Sherry, I really do want you." Gin's voice was calm and husky.

"You know what Gin? I don't want you! Fuck you!" She lashed out. All the pain inside her was bound to be out and Gin happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Don't-you-talk-to-me-like-that." Gin warned.

"Fuck you! Fuck you!" Shiho repeated. Her eyebrows were furrowed and she looked at him with contempt. "I HATE you Gin! So you better stay the fuck away from me before I-"

"Before you what?" He interrupted.

"Before I fucking kill you." Shiho said with conviction, gazing at him fearlessly before leaving the building.

Gin stayed in his place, it was as if some demon took over his Sherry. He felt threatened, not by her threatening to kill him but by her getting out of his control, rebelling. Sherry was his favorite joy in life. He can't lose her like this. He has got to do something about it. Not now though, the streets are crowded and he doesn't want to make a scene out of himself.

(*)

As days went by, Dai and Shiho kept on avoiding each other. They only met for Akemi's birthday two weeks after that time in the car.

Dai came late to the restaurant. He didn't add much to the conversation and neither did Shiho. They didn't speak to each other at all. They would only comment on what Akemi say from time to time, other than that, they were silent.

"What's it with you two being silent? I feel like I'm the only one talking here." Akemi noted.

"You're the birthday girl." Dai said.

"So what? Does that mean I have to do all the talking?"

Dai just shrugged. Shiho avoided her gaze busying herself by cutting the food.

"Okay, if you two won't then I'll continue talking…" Akemi grinned.

Akemi was a social butterfly so she had plenty of stories to tell. Having two silent guests didn't affect her, she did well with filling their gap. She jumped from a story to another until she finally told them the story of how an old friend of hers got framed for stealing a wallet. She almost got kicked out of her job if they weren't to find at the last minute that the person who told on her was actually the one that stole it and planted it in her office.

"So just because she called him dumb, he decides to ruin her reputation like this? Taking all of the time and effort to force her out of her job." Shiho commented.

Dai started talking over her. "...You know Shiho, _Some people_ would force others into bad things without them knowing it."

"I wouldn't say he-" Akemi started.

Shiho interrupted, looking Dai back. "And sometimes _people_ are natural drama queens who give a thing a size bigger than it deserves."

"It's not a little thing. It would've ruined her reputation, no one would trust her after that." He frowned.

"Except that she was innocent. If she didn't do it and the other one was to blame then why should she be so concerned about it?" Her voice raised little.

"Because it happened! And it cannot be taken back." His voice was louder. His intense gaze burned holes in Shiho who gazed at him intensely too.

"Hey! It's fine you two, it's been five years since this happened." Akemi intervened, looking puzzled. _She was waiting for them to talk, but now that they're finally talking, it's this!?_

The evening ended. That one time was the only time that Dai and Shiho directly spoke to each other. The tension between them was so obvious enough for Akemi to notice.

Shiho's driver picked her up. Dai and Akemi preferred to walk. The agent placed his hand into his pocket sheltering it from the cold. The brunette wrapped her arm around his, enjoying his warmth.

"What happened between you and Shiho?" Akemi asked.

"I told you before, it's nothing."

"I'm not stupid, Dai kun! You two used not to be like this."

Shuichi's hands created fists inside his pocket. He really doesn't want to lie to her but he has to. All because of Shiho.

"...We had a little quarrel about work, it's nothing, but you know how she gets."

"And how you get!" Akemi added. He shrugged. "So you two ruined my birthday for a stupid quarrel"

"I'm sorry." He whispered. Dai brought a hand out of his pocket and wrapped it around her shoulder.

"But now, you'll have to make it up for me." Akemi smiled.

"What do you suggest?"

"Okay… Umm! First, you guys should make up, and then I want you to take me to Tropical land."

"Nooo" Shuichi protested. Akemi's been asking him to accompany her to the theme park for months, he never agreed.

"These are my demands, Moroboshi." She grinned.

He stayed silent for a moment... "She was wrong!"

Akemi sighed. She knew her boyfriend had too much pride, and so did her sister. So to make things work between them she needs to be more persuasive.

"We can do the second whenever you want. As for the first, please do it soon!… Look, Dai kun, I know Shiho has a bad temper but most of the time she doesn't mean what she says. So whatever happened between you two just make up. I really miss having you both around." She wrapped her arm around him bringing him closer. "…Will you do it for me?"

"…Alright" Shuichi muttered, looking ahead at the street. He and Shiho kissed behind her back and she was trying to bring them together! He felt ashamed to even look her in the eye.

That night, Shuichi slept in Akemi's apartment and on the next day, he headed to Shiho's. _If this is what it took to make Akemi happy, he'll do it, he'll grit his teeth and do it, he will take her to Tropical land too and play every silly game with her just to make her happy._

At 10 pm, Shiho got home. She found Dai standing in front of her building. Their eyes locked as she walked closer to the main entrance.

"We should talk." He said When she was close enough.

"No, Dai san, you were right! It's pointless talking about it." She walked passed him and he followed. "I'm not changing my mind if you walk with me."

"Do you think I wanna talk about it? I'm doing this for Akemi and so should you."

Shiho stopped walking. For a moment she felt scared. _What if her sister knew? Could it be Dai had told her? Was he tired of keeping a secret from her? This will mean the ruin of her relationship with Akemi, she won't handle living without her._

"What do u want?" She asked, looking at him over her shoulder. Dai avoided her gaze.

"These things can't be discussed in corridors." He muttered.

_Wait, isn't that her sentence?_ Shiho examined him for a moment before turning and entering the building, Shuichi followed her in silence until they got to the apartment.

"What's with Akemi?" She nonchalantly asked, while burning to know what happened.

"She noticed that we're off. I told her we had a fight about work and now she wants us back together. We won't be meeting much anyway but if we do let's be on good terms for her sake, Okay?"

"No, that's not okay!" Shiho shook her head. "I'm not acting as if we're on good terms. Either we really go back or not, but I'm not going to pretend it. It was all for a stupid reason to begin with."

"We can't just go back." His tone was calm and low.

"Why not?"

"Because we kissed, I kissed you, I cheated on her."

"I told you, you did not cheat. How is it considered cheating if it did not mean anything for both of us."

"Even if it didn't, it shouldn't have happened, but you-…"

"I know, I know, I know!...I screwed up, I want to fix it.. Tell me what I can do... If there is.. any way!" Shiho yelled, fed up. Her voice shook and she was thankful she controlled it before he could notice. if she knew that a little kiss would coast her all of this… _Just ugh!_

"It cannot be fixed. The only way to fix it is to take it back and that can't happen."

"All of this for a kiss? I told you I didn't feel anything when I did it so why are you so...?" Shiho trailed off. Shuichi stared at her in silence. She could see a lot of thoughts behind his green eyes. She took a step closer to him and went on softly. "Dai san, you did not cheat. I dragged you into it and I'm sorry... But as long as it was just physical then it shouldn't be a problem."

"It is a problem Shiho." Dai said in a low, husky voice.

"You're impossible. I just, I can't understand you." She shook her head, exasperated.

"You not feeling anything doesn't necessarily mean that I ..didn't feel anything." He muttered.

"What!" Shiho whispered, startled. _So he felt something when he kissed her back? What! _Her eyes widened. Shuichi's greens fixed on her as he went on.

"We better off not seeing each other from now on… Text me before you come to Akemi so that we don't encounter. If we ever do let's not fight in front of her." Dai said, then turned to the door and left.

Just like that, he left her standing in amazement.

That's right, that's why he was continually avoiding her. Ever since that day they kissed, Shuichi couldn't get Shiho out of his mind, he couldn't stop thinking about their kiss and he felt horrible.

He was a cheater, it doesn't matter that she initiated it or that he was drunk. He was a cheater of the worst kind by having his mind on another woman. And of all people, he thought about his girlfriend's sister, the girlfriend whom he was using when she loved him unconditionally. That's a new reason to hate himself more.

Shuichi had no control over these thoughts which is why he avoided Shiho, lest they develop to something more. He hated her for causing it, if she weren't to kiss him that day he wouldn't have had these thoughts, but it's too late now.

When he lays his head on a pillow he thinks about her, how she always managed to be there for him at the right time, at his worst, she always made it better. But this time she just made it worse.

* * *

**Hello! Sorry for taking so long to update but it's just so hard to write their encounters after a kiss, like how would they react. I hope I didn't mess up! Tell me what you guys think and if you have any ideas for the next chapter, let me know because I have none :D**

**(Update) Next chapter: Shiho tries to stand up for Gin, but he's not that easy to take down.**


	14. Stop

Shiho held her Dictaphone in hand and walked inside the clinical research room. She started recording her voice describing the health status of each mouse until...

"Hello, Sherry!" Gin's voice came from behind her.

The scientist joined her lips together. She looked down to the floor for a while before turning to face him with a death glare. He's probably here for what she said to him last week and he's certainly gonna give her a hard time for it. But then how did he get in here? This area is in maximum security. It could only be accessed by a special lab card and only a few of the lab workers had that card.

"You don't have access to this area." Shiho said.

"I have access to all areas, Sherry!"

"Not this one, so just leave."

"So now you're the one making the orders!" He grinned, it raged her.

"What do you want?" She asked, showing her annoyance by crossing her arms.

"I certainly don't want a mouse!... Let's see!..." He walked closer to her and whispered. "I want you!"

Gin was certainly angry at her for speaking to him the way she did last time. He came here with the intention of scolding her for it, but seeing her made him forget. Now he had something more important on his list. One month, two weeks and 3 days had passed without Sherry and seeing her beautiful face was a lot for Gin to handle. He missed her taste so so much and needed to be reminded of it again. It didn't work for him last time but this time he was determined.

"I thought I made myself clear last time." She said.

_God! Why does she become so hot when she ignores him?_ Gin couldn't stop himself from extending a hand and placing it on her hip. _He really wanted her!_ Shiho took a step out of his reach.

"What are you doing?" She frowned.

"I missed you!...No one could see us in here..." Gin whispered with his breathing slightly fastened. And without a warning, he placed his hand on the back of her head, pulling her closer to him.

Shiho's anger grew. She tried to resist him but he was stronger. Gin was centimeters away from getting what he wanted. But before their lips could touch, Shiho pushed him away by his shoulders.

"You're sick!" She said, looking at him with contempt. _Just when she thought he couldn't get any worse! _

Shiho left back to her office. She grabbed her purse, put on her coat and left. She rode the elevator down while calling her driver to come pick her up. Once she reached the ground floor, she deviated to the bathroom then headed to the parking lot.

To her surprise, Gin was there waiting for her. The place was creepy silent and no other person was around. She stopped in her tracks when she spotted him walking towards her with slow steps.

"What's gotten into you, Sherry? Did you actually believe you could do whatever you want because I've forgiven you before? That's exactly why I hate mercy, it makes people delusional, you spare them once and they think they could do anything they want."

"You held a gun to my head! The normal thing to do next would be to apologize. Instead, you come here to make moves on me."

Gin laughed for a moment. "Well, that's new… Remind me, how many time did I hold a gun to your head, is this the second time?"

"Third." She glared at him.

"And you never asked for an apology." He laughed again when he said apology. "If anything, you should thank me, not so many people recover from being in that position."

"You think that if you say that I'll come back to you? You know what, Gin, you're being repulsive."

Gin gently passed a hand on her cheek, but it abruptly migrated to hold her hair violently. All hints of amusement were wiped from his face and he suddenly looked solemn.

"You want an apology? Are you trying to disrespect me? You do know what I do with those who disrespect, Sherry, so don't make that mistake and learn some manners when you speak, because I'm not sure I'll be able to forgive you another time."

Just when he finished his sentence, Gin felt a hard thing press against his skin.

Gin looked down only to find a gun tip pressed against him with Shiho's finger on the trigger. He slowly looked back at her. She really never seizes to surprise him! He was bewildered, yet no sign of fear appeared on him. He looked quite neutral.

Shiho was a scientist. She knew the human anatomy like the back of her hand so there's no way she'd miss. One shot to Gin's heart and he'll drop dead. One shot will end her misery. If she kills him here, the organization will cover everything for her because they need her to finish the drug.

Shiho stood there with her hands shaking. Could she press the trigger? She's never killed before, but if she kills Gin she'll be doing humanity a favor, if only she could gather enough strength to fire the gun because her fingers seemed to freeze.

"Shiho, don't!" An approaching voice came from the side and a silhouette of a long haired man appeared. As an FBI agent, Shuichi wanted fewer people to die even if it meant a criminal like Gin. He's better off capturing him and keeping him for interrogation.

"Listen to the man, Sherry." Gin said. His experienced hand crawled on her shaking fingers taking the gun away from her.

Shiho was stunned that something like this could come from her. It would've been way more satisfying if Gin allowed her time to enjoy it instead of glaring at her with his criminal eyes.

Gin loved control, he detested the fact that Sherry was slipping away from him. She changed and became more daring than before, but to take it so far to actually try to kill him was a big warning.

When he ensured the gun in his hand, Gin formed a fist and punched Shiho hard enough to send her to the floor.

Shiho felt pain all over her right cheek. Her shaky finger turned red with blood when it touched the side of her lip. For her, the pain didn't matter, what mattered was that she was humiliated in front of Dai. Now she could no longer deny it.

Shuichi was angry. _Seeing Gin punch Shiho, it must've been like this since they started dating. _

"Hey! HEY!" He yelled while fastening his steps towards them. When he got there he held Gin by the collar. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Is this how you treat your girlfriend?"

"Didn't I tell you to stay out of this?" Gin said, brushing Dai's hand away only to fail. Dai still held him stubbornly.

"You think you're a man for hitting a woman like that? You sick bastard!"

The words made Gin really pissed. His doubts about them having an affair resurfaced. _Otherwise, why would Rye keep on reappearing? Now, it all made sense, the way his Sherry changed, she's not scared of him anymore because she found shelter, and that shelter has got to be Dai, he was the only man around her. _

Shuichi kept his grip strong on Gin's collar. He was barely able to control himself to not hit him, but his infiltration was the priority. He can't hit Gin. Even if he's Rye now, Gin still had a higher rank than him and is closer to the boss.

"Alright that's it. I've given you fuckers so much freedom, now it's time for everyone to know their place." Gin said before punching Shuichi in the stomach, just like the time they first met.

To his surprise, Dai had blocked it. Shiho still sat on the floor between two cars, staring at them with terror.

"I see you improved… This is gonna be fun." Gin grinned.

Just when he finished talking, Shuichi sent him an unexpected punch to the cheek. It was a replica for the one that Gin punched Shiho with, on the exact same place. He just couldn't hold himself any longer, he was looking for any reason to justify hitting him and the fact that Gin was the one to attack him first was a good enough reason.

Within a second, the silver haired man stepped forward and sent a fist to Shuichi's jaw, but he got blocked again. Before Shuichi could celebrate his success, he felt a strong hit to the side of his neck. Gin sent him a Brazilian kick and those kicks were utterly unexpected and impossible to block.

Losing his balance, Shuichi staggered to the side. Gin tried to approach him but Shuichi extended his arm very fast, it stopped centimeter away from Gin's eyes and it caused the man to pull his head backward in surprise. It was a Jeet Kun Do move. Shuichi would've taken Gin's eyes out if he wanted but he did not, he used it as a threat rather than a weapon.

From that position, Shuichi's hand formed a fist and he sent it straight to Gin's jaw. His other hand punched him in the stomach, the two punches were almost simultaneous and they held all of the hate that Shuichi had for Gin in them. Gin was still surprised by the strength that Shuichi showed, he did not expect that much, not only that he was strong but he was so fast, faster than any of the people Gin had fought before.

The two men continued fighting. Gin attacked back by punching Shuichi on the stomach, this time, he succeeded. Shuichi didn't take time to recover, he pinned Gin to a wall and started sending him repeated punches.

Gin took a defensive position using his forearms but most of Dai's punches penetrated his shield causing pain all over his upper body. He too gave some punches here and there but Dai didn't seem to be affected. It was adrenalin, Shuichi will certainly feel every single punch after the rush, but for now, he just kept on hitting as if some demon took over him.

Gin looked down. In a fast move, he lifted his knee and hit Shuichi in the groin. Shuichi stopped his train of punches and groaned. _It felt unbearable_.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Gin turned Dai around and pinned him to the wall where he was standing. He wrapped both of his hands around the agent's neck and tightened his grip, squeezing Dai's neck while pushing him to the wall.

Shuichi felt his neck hurt like hell. He tried pushing Gin back by his shoulder but Gin's grip only tightened with these attempts. He tried to remove Gin's crawled fingers but he only scratched his own neck with no result. He punched Gin's elbow crease hoping to bend his arm and cause him to let go but it was useless to do for a man with a strong physique as Gin. Gin had an iron fist.

Shuichi felt weaker with every passing second. He struggled for oxygen but none could enter his lungs. At some point, his attacks had stopped and he felt like he was going to pass out.

Shiho appeared from the side and held Gin's wrists.

"Gin STOP!" She yelled with terror. "PLEASE STOP!"

Shiho looked hysterical. She was barely able to hold herself up. Blood covered the side of her lip and her cheek was already darkened from the punch. Gin didn't seem to respond. Feeling helpless, Shiho dug her nails into his skin. Gin removed his hands from Shuichi and turned to punch her again, this time, it landed on her eye and it was strong enough to force her to step backward. Shiho placed both of her hands on her eye as she stood there in pain.

Once freed from Gin's grip, Shuichi fell to the floor gasping for oxygen. A coughing fit suddenly took over him grabbing Gin's attention back to him. Gin approached him and finished him off with a kick. He then adjusted his collar and left.

Shuichi stayed down on the floor, still coughing. Gin wasn't strangling him anymore but his neck still hurt as much. Shiho approached him. She kneeled down and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Her voice was almost shaking.

"I'm fine." Dai winced. Both of his eyes were closed and his voice was already hoarse.

"I'm so sorry…" She whispered. "Should we go back to the lab? We have an oxygen tank in there."

"No, I'm good… I just need a moment." He pant. Dai felt like energy was sucked out of him, he felt too weary to even stand up.

Shiho nodded. She stood and rested her back to the wall then stared at Dai. She placed a hand on her eye, it was hurting so much. She must be looking like a mess after getting punched in the face twice. She felt embarrassed now that Dai knew Gin was truly abusing her. The image of the strong woman she's been showing had all crumbled. She felt humiliated by that fact.

At that moment, Dai rolled on the floor. He slowly sat up and got to his feet, he was still in pain but being the stoic man he is, he hid it.

"Hope you're feeling better." Shiho said with a hint of concern. She stepped towards him. Dai simply nodded.

"… My car is parked this way, let's go." He muttered. She followed him.

"I'm sorry that you had to go through this Dai san…"

"Shh!" He hushed her. "You don't have to apologize. It's not your fault."

Within a minute, the two were sitting inside the Chevy. Shuichi put on his seat belt and rested his back on the seat for a moment. He turned to Shiho. His gaze moved from her puffed eye to her bluish cheek and down to her lip that had a cut on the side. He couldn't imagine what Gin had made her go through before, and she kept silent all along bearing the pain by herself.

"Do you love him?" He asked, out of the blue.

Shiho stared at him in silence not knowing what to answer. _Should she open up to him or keep her image? She doesn't want him to think she's weak but then he already saw everything._

Shuichi detected her confusion. He continued. "I just… there's no sense for you to go through this." He shook his head.

"He's not usually like that. He, he doesn't hit me." She finally managed to say.

"Stop justifying his actions, I know you're smarter than that."

She sighed and turned ahead of her, escaping his gaze. Shuichi started the car.

"This is the last time he does that to you, Shiho. You're not coming back to him after what he did, right?"

Shiho just thought in silence. She didn't know what to answer. _She doesn't want to go back to Gin but what if he threatens her? She can't make a promise she's not sure she could keep._

"If it takes you this much time to think of an answer then you share part of the blame!"

"It's not like that." She replied in an attempt to keep her pride. "He really is not like that usually, this is the first time that he..." She trailed off. _That he punches her? She didn't even want to say it._

"The first time that he hits you? Even if it's true, the fact that he raised his hand on you means that he'd dare to do it again. He's been abusing you for a long time now even without hitting you. Just the fact that you're scared of him is enough."

"I'm not scared of him."

"We already went through this talk a year ago and I told you I'm not buying this shit, so stop lying to me. I've seen him hit you with my own eyes."

The redhead tilted her head forward. Her hands fidgeted nervously on her lap. She felt her pride crushed and her masks crumble. Shuichi realized the harsh effect his words had on her. He knew that pride was important to her, so seeing her like this, she was naked, everything she's been keeping was exposed to him and he knew that she felt humiliated by it. He tried to soften his tone.

"Promise me that you won't go back to him." He gently said while glancing at her from the corner of his eye.

Shiho kept silent still not knowing what to answer. _Gin will probably try to hurt Dai for what he did to him earlier. What if going back to Gin is the only way to save Dai?_

"If you feel scared then-" Shuichi said when he realized he wasn't getting an answer.

"I told you I'm not scared of him." She interrupted.

"If you feel scared then you could call me. Anytime, I'll be there for you. But you have to end it first… Alright?"

"...I'll think about it." Shiho said, just for the sake of ending the discussion.

The last thing Dai thought of Shiho was to be stupid. He'd always perceived her as one of the smartest people he's ever met. A tough, strong, independent woman. But now, she's considering going back with an abuser. That's pure stupidity and it did not fit in his mind that she could be like this. The only explanation he could find was love, love blinds people, she probably loves Gin way too much to let go, but even so, it still did not fit her description for him.

"Do you love him?" He asked, again.

Shiho was going to tell him that it's not his business, but she remembered what he just did for her, so she used a softer version. "I don't wanna talk about it."

It was enough for Shuichi to shut up and let her be. She was like him in a way, and he knew how annoying it is to have someone talking when he doesn't want to talk.

Shiho drowned in thought as Dai continued driving. She felt scared for him. _Will Gin simply spare him after doing what he did? _That was the reason she couldn't promise Dai a breakup, because if it's gonna take her sacrificing her life and keeping that toxic relationship to save Dai, she'd do it.

But Dai couldn't understand the reason behind her decision. He doesn't realize that his helping is only making things worse for her and for him. Now he probably thinks of her as a clingy woman who's holding to her abuser. Shiho hated having him think that of her, but she had to, to protect him.

"Dai san…" She called when they stopped for a red light.

He turned to look at her with a faint smile. She hated when he does that, he always smiles when she's in a weak position to encourage her, and she hated being in a weak position. She felt stronger when he gave her his cocky look, representing that he believes she's strong and he's challenging her, not smiling, representing that she's weak and he's just letting her win.

"You should be careful. Gin might try to hurt you."

"Don't worry about that." He said, confidently.

"No, please… He's dangerous." Shiho proceeded with concern.

"I know!"

Shiho stared into his greens, Dai was the definition of a knight in shining armor to her, except that Gin was a strong villain and she couldn't risk him for her own sake.

The car stopped in front of her apartment building. Just the sight of it made her feel sad. She better move out soon. This place was linked with bad memories for her, it's where she buries all her sadness, where she drinks and cries at night, she truly did not want to go there alone.

"Do you wanna come up?" Shiho asked Dai.

"Ah no, I better not."

"Please?" She mumbled. She'd already lost a big portion of her pride today so why not just do that too?

Shuichi did not want to join her. He was scared something like the last time could happen again. But he trusted his self control, and he believed that the kiss didn't mean anything for her. That combined with the fact that she's hurt and he can't deny a request for her while she's in that state, he decided to go.

"Okay, but I can't stay for long."

They both left the car and went up to the apartment.

A black Porsche stopped in front of the building. Gin got out hoping to talk to sherry about what happened earlier. But to his surprise, he saw her walking inside the building with Rye. His black long hair was moving with the wind as he walked next to the redhead, placing a hand on her upper back.

_So it was true! Everything he'd suspected was true and she's been playing him for a fool all along!_

* * *

**Hey there! Thank you all for your support and your brilliant ideas! broccoli, Ashely, 75aichan and Guest :) Hope you liked this chapter and expect the next one soon.**

**Next chapter: Gin pays a visit to Akemi.**


	15. Manipulation

Shiho entered the password to the electronic Keypad. She unlocked the door to her apartment and walked inside with Dai behind her. She threw her purse on the couch, took off her coat and headed to the kitchen.

"What do you want to drink? I have some wine…Orange juice... and…"

"Water's fine." Dai answered, taking off his jacket. _He certainly did not want anything to do with alcohol when with her._

Shiho grabbed two empty glasses from the cupboard. She filled hers with wine and Dai's with water. Shuichi was standing next to her floor to ceiling window, enjoying the view of Tokyo from the high rising building.

"I've been here a couple of times but I never told you that you have an amazing view." He said with his back turned on her, facing the city.

"Now that I think of it, you only come here to fight." The closeness of her voice when she answered caused Dai to turn to face her. She handed him his glass.

"Yeah, that seems like the case." He replied, recalling the few times he visited her; one time after she'd left with Gin and he came to talk some sense into her and they ended up fighting, and the other time was after she'd kissed him and that did not go well either.

"To peace?" She raised her glass of wine.

"To peace!" Dai repeated, raising his water and clinking her glass.

Shuichi drank all of the content, Shiho just took one sip. She joined him to look out of the giant window.

"I was thinking about moving out." She said.

"Why?"

"I'm not sure. I feel like I need a change."

"The only change you need is that of a Boyfriend."

Shiho looked at him from the corner of her eye, Dai was staring at the city underneath them. If changing boyfriends were to be a simple thing, she'd certainly choose him to be with her.

She felt so tired, so sad and hurt and desperately needed someone to heal her, but every time, she had to suffer all by herself in this empty home. She wished she could take a step closer and lean on Dai's shoulder, she was sure he could take all of her pain away but he was not hers, he was Akemi's, he is the one meant to heal Akemi and she couldn't be greedy to take him away from her only sister.

"How did you start dating him?" Dai suddenly turned to face her, and his greens were enough for her heart to fasten its beats.

"I don't wanna talk about it." She said, turning towards the couch and taking a seat. Dai joined her in the living room.

"If you don't wanna talk then why'd you invite me up here?" He asked, sitting in an armchair.

"There are lots of things to discuss, Dai san, just not that particular topic."

"Okay. What do you want to discuss then?" He asked, keeping his eyes on her and holding his hands behind his head.

Shiho looked into his mesmerizing eyes. She wished she could tell him everything, all of her anger and sadness and pain, but she just couldn't. She wanted to inhale his distinguished scent and to hug him for so long to heal her wounds but it was inappropriate, especially after the last incident between them.

"I don't know" She sighed. She did not want to discuss Gin with him but somehow, it was the only thing on her mind right now, she didn't feel like talking about anything else.

"I think you need someone to talk to. Bottling up your emotions won't get you anywhere, Shiho. You can always tell Akemi and she could help."

"No, Dai san, I can't."

"Why?" He brought his hands down from the back of his head.

"What do you want me to tell her? That I've been seeing Gin behind her back? Or that I'm…" Shiho stopped talking._ Tell her that she's in love with her boyfriend? Hell no!_

"She could help you."

"I don't want her involved. I don't want her to worry about me."

"Sometimes it's okay to let people worry about you. You're going through a tough time so the least you deserve is someone else's support. If you continue on keeping everything to yourself you'll end up suffering like you are right now."

"I'm not suffering."

"Stop lying to me, Shiho. I already know everything so there's no need to do that anymore. You don't have to hide it from me, I'm not here to judge you I'm just trying to help." Dai said gently.

Shiho shook her head. "I can't tell her." She whispered. She was convinced that she doesn't deserve Akemi's support, _how could she ask for it after betraying her? _

"Then I guess you're the one that's impossible." Dai said as he got up from his seat. Shiho followed up and got to her feet. _Why this fast? She thought. _

Knowing he was about to leave, Shiho felt a part of her gone. She wished he could stay with her for the whole night but she knew it was impossible. What she knew too is that once he leaves, her house will turn cold and empty and she'll lose every feeling of safety.

"I gotta go now, take care!" He just said and aimed at the door.

"Wait! Dai san." She called.

Shuichi stopped in his tracks. He looked at her over his shoulder questionably.

"Can I… Can I hug you?" she asked, a bit embarrassed. _She decided to take her chances despite everything that happened for she desperately needed that._

The agent hesitated for a while before turning to face her "Sure!"

He was happy that his speech worked on her since this is the first time she actually reaches out for someone to give her support.

Shiho approached him with fast steps while he extended his arms. In those few seconds, it was like nothing else existed, no Gin, no organization, her mind was crystal clear. She finally reached him and she threw her body against him wrapping both of her arms around his torso and holding him close. Shuichi did the same, he lifted his head up sheltering hers under his chin. It was a nice, warm, bear hug that Shiho wished would go on forever. She could feel her wounds already healing.

Now Shiho didn't raise her hopes, she expected Dai to end it fast but to her surprise, he did not. He just kept her close sending her all of the warmth and safety she needed, she could feel his long arms encircling all of her body and pulling her close. It felt wonderful!

They stayed like that for a long moment until he decided to pull back. Shiho felt like she'd lost something with him, she felt empty again.

"Will you be okay?" He asked with a husky voice.

"Yes!" She nodded, but it was a lie, She's going to break down and cry soon as he leaves.

"Alright. Goodnight!"

"Goodnight!"

He said it and left.

(*)

After a long day at work, Akemi couldn't wait to go back home and rest. She left her workplace and finally got home. To her surprise, she found Gin waiting right next to her apartment door. Seeing one of the organization members could never signify good news, but being the cheery girl she was, she welcomed him with her trademark smile.

"Ah, Hey Gin! What brings you here?"

"I came to tell you something, won't take long of your time." Gin replied.

"What?" She asked with a hint of worry.

"I came to tell you about your boyfriend. He's been screwing other women behind your back."

"No wait, that's impossible." She giggled as she unlocked the apartment door. Akemi trusted Dai unconditionally. She just deeply believed that he's not the type of man to cheat.

"You think I'm joking with you?" Gin sternly said, wiping away the smile from her face. "He's been screwing Vermouth for a while and I didn't mind it until I found out about his other affair."

Akemi frowned. She gestured for Gin to go inside and closed the door.

"What? What are you talking about? Dai san would never do that!"

"Well boohoo, he did! Turns out, he's been screwing your sister too."

"No!" Akemi shook her head in disbelieve. "No way!"

"It appears you're not as bright as your sister, no wonder she's the one pursuing a career in science." He smiled at her, bringing out his phone and showing her a picture of Dai and Shiho entering the latter's apartment building with Dai's hand on Shiho's back. "You see that?"

"That doesn't mean anything." Akemi shook her head. "He could've just gone there to-…"

"To screw her!" Gin interrupted, nodding his head with satisfaction. "You're just in a state of denial, you'll get to it over time."

"That can't be true." She shook her head. Akemi felt her heart tighten, she couldn't believe anything of what Gin was saying.

"Did he ever tell you about his visits to her apartment? Because he's been visiting it quite frequently."

"Ah, no. But that doesn't mean that what you're saying is true, Dai kun would never do that." She stopped and swallowed hard. "Shiho would never do that to me."

"You need to wake the fuck up, people do shit to each other all the time… I caught them both in the act."

"No way!" Akemi said. "Just… what's your gain of telling me this? Even if it's true why take the trouble to come here and tell me?"

"Oh! She didn't tell you, did she?... Shiho and I've been dating for years now. I'm a little insulted that she did not tell you about me but well, it's all over now anyway. I caught them doing it in her apartment just now and I beat them up for it, I thought you should know about it too."

"You're lying" She whispered.

"Watch your language, I'm not even going to bother with you, you're Pitiful as you are… Just think about it, if she kept our relationship from you for years, what else could she be keeping?"

Akemi placed her hand on the wall for support, she felt like she was going to fall. Gin turned around aiming to leave.

"One more thing, She actually knows he's been cheating with Vermouth, I'm surprised she didn't tell you that either." Gin said before closing the door behind him, leaving Akemi standing in disbelieve.

Gin wanted to gain control over Shiho again after he'd lost it. He decided that the first step towards that was to punish her for what she did, and what's a better way to do that than to get to her through her only family, the person she loves the most. He knew that if she'd lost Akemi she won't have anyone else, she'll be broken and lonely and this way he could penetrate her life again.

Akemi walked to the first kitchen stool that encountered her and sat on it organizing her thoughts. No matter what, she could not accept what Gin has said. She was stuck in a phase of denial. Nevertheless, what he said has gotten into her, Gin was a high ranked member with a busy schedule, he wouldn't go through all of the trouble just to prank her, so it had to be true.

The brunette took in a deep breath, she decided to not let her doubts get to her, she'll wait for Dai to come and she'll directly ask him and he'll certainly prove everything that Gin had said to be wrong. _Because it can't be right, can it?_

(*)

Akemi walked back and forth restlessly. When she heard the key turning, she stopped and turned all of her focus to the door.

Dai appeared, he glanced at her and turned to close the door. The first thing she noticed was that he was wearing the same clothes as the ones shown in Gin's picture. _This is not a good sign!_

"Hey there!" He greeted.

Akemi walked towards him, she was going to tell him about everything that Gin had told her until she spotted some scratches on his neck. _Could those mean Gin really beat him up? Could what Gin had said actually be true?_

"What's that?" She asked, pointing at his neck with an uncharacteristically serious expression.

"It's nothing. I got them in training." He answered. He certainly did not want to tell her he fought Gin because she's going to ask why and he didn't want Shiho's secret exposed.

Akemi just glared at him, _could he really be playing her for a fool?_

"Hey! You okay?" Dai asked.

She just continued glaring. He approached her to inquire what's wrong but to his surprise, Akemi grabbed his black shirt and lifted it up exposing his abdominal muscles and the multiple bruises on them. She raised her eyes up to meet his.

"Was this part of the training too?"

Shuichi sighed. He took his shirt back from her grip, sliding it down on his bare skin.

"Alright! I got into a fight. I didn't want you to worry… How'd you know?"

"A fight with who?" Akemi still stood in her place, not allowing him to move forward to the living room.

"This is turning into an interrogation." He calmly said. But on the inside, Shuichi felt worried. _She's acting really strange. Could it be she exposed his true identity?_

"Just answer my question!"

Shuichi sighed… "You don't know him."

"What's his name?"

"Why do you care about his name?"

"Dai kun?" She glared.

"It's Daiki, satisfied?" He said before preceding her to the living room. Akemi turned around and followed him.

"Alright! And where have you been all day?" She asked.

"What is it with you tonight, Akemi?" Dai asked, a bit annoyed.

"Just answer me!"

"I told you I was in training!"

"You've been there all day?"

"I was there all day!"

Shuichi was really in training. The organization's training facility was located next to the lab, it was a perfect location since the area was isolated. But that was before he'd met Shiho and Gin in the parking lot.

"Are you sure you were in training? Weren't you at Shiho's? And the person you fought with, you sure it's not Gin?"

Shuichi's eyes grew wider for a second! _How did she know? It's Gin! It has to be him, he must've come here and told her. Dai did not see this coming. _Now lying will be pointless, nevertheless, he needed to be careful with his words to protect Shiho's secret.

Shuichi took off his knit cap and threw it on the coffee table, he passed his fingers through his long hair pushing it back. "I did fight with Gin… Last time you heard I fought with him you gave me a hard time, I just didn't want us to go through that again! I didn't want you to worry." He said, referencing the time he first met with Gin, Akemi kept nagging on him for days because of that incident.

"And what did you two fight about?" Akemi asked, her voice shook at the end of the sentence, she was scared of hearing the answer.

"It's about work!... Baby girl, you-"

"Don't call me that!" She suddenly yelled, leaving Dai startled. It was the first time she ever yells at him. "Why'd you go to Shiho's today? Ah?"

"For work!"

"Then why'd you say you've been in training all day?"

"I stopped by her house but I didn't stay long, it's not worth mentioning."

"How come it's not worth mentioning? I didn't even know you knew her address!"

"Well, it's for work, Akemi!"

"How do you expect me to believe that after you lied to me about the fight and about where you've been? I just asked you two simple questions and you lied about both of them"

"Wow wow, wait!... Are you saying that something is happening between me and Shiho?"

"You tell me." This time, her voice fully broke and tears streamed down her cheeks, but she tried to keep her composure. "It happened before between you and Vermouth so why not Shiho as well?"

"What? That's not true! Did Gin tell you that?"

She nodded with trembling lips.

"That's not true, he's lying to you. How could you just believe him? Don't you trust me?"

"That's what I told him at first, I told him that he's lying until you came here and lied to my face about everything…"

"No, that's different" Dai shook his head.

"What's different? You lied!..." She sobbed "I was so stupid I didn't believe him, so I called other members from the syndicate to ask…" She stopped and sobbed again. "They all said there's something going on between you and Vermouth!… But my sister Dai kun? My sister? How could you do this to me?"

Dai cursed Gin for causing Akemi to believe that. He knew how manipulative the other member was, this is probably how he managed to keep Shiho by his side for years, by manipulating her like this.

"None of this is true! This is just a huge misunderstanding!... Look Akemi, I have _never_ cheated on you with Vermouth or any other woman." Shuichi said softly, approaching her and placing his hand on her shoulder, she brushed it away.

"Don't touch me...I can't believe you anymore, Dai kun." She whispered through her tears.

"I can explain-…"

"Don't, just get out…"

"...Akemi!"

" GET OUT!"

(*)

Shuichi left the apartment with his blood boiling. He brought the pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lighted one up, inhaling it deeply. He got to his car and drove around hoping to calm himself but he couldn't, he was enraged about how things went. _All because of that manipulating bastard._

When he realized his attempts to calm down weren't working, he decided to head home. He parked his Chevy and walked inside the elevator. The place was empty, no one was around in the parking lot.

Shuichi pressed the button but before the door could fully close a hand stuck to the inside opening it again. A man with a black coat and dark sunglasses appeared. Shuichi can't recall seeing him in the apartment complex before. The two men rode in silence till they got to Shuichi's floor. The agent took a step forward to leave the elevator but before he could do, the man grabbed him and placed a chloroform soaked rag on his nose. Shuichi struggled to escape the man's grip. The men lifted his elbow and plowed it to the agent's head to silence him. By that time, the chloroform worked its effect and Shuichi fell unconscious before he could feel any pain.


	16. punishment

Shuichi's eyes opened slowly exposing their olive green shade. He blankly stared around without a single thought on his mind. It took him a moment to realize that he was trapped inside a room. It was small and empty, poorly lit and did not contain any windows. The concrete walls looked gloomy with some dry blood spots on them. But what grabbed his attention was the man sitting in front of him, he had a huge built, he was wearing a black shirt that tightly traced his huge biceps, 2 sleeves of tattoos covered both of his arms. He was looking away when he noticed the sudden movement from Shuichi, he turned his head to meet the agent's eyes.

"Rise and shine, princess!" The man smirked.

Shuichi closed his eyes again. He felt a throbbing pain on the back of his head. He could feel the handcuffs digging into his wrists and his ankles tightly wrapped by duct tape, the tape was wrapped all around his upper body too, keeping him fixed to the chair he was sat on. Shuichi felt lightheaded and dizzy and was barely able to keep his eyes open and focus.

"Hey! Don't ignore me like that, or are you trying to play hard to get?" The man added, raising the agent's chin up with his rough fingers. Shuichi's greens slowly opened.

"What do you want?" The agent asked with a low voice.

"Me? Nothing really!" He shrugged. " Gin, however, wants a lot of things. It was him that asked me to bring you here."

"Yeah, good work!" Shuichi muttered.

The man suddenly raised his hand and slapped Shuichi causing his head to turn to the side. "I know! My work is always good."

Shuichi slowly turned his head to look at him again.

"Did anyone tell you before you have pretty eyes?" The man added, gently passing his fingers on the agent's cheek. Shuichi turned to the side escaping the man's touch but before he could do, the man slapped him again turning his head in the other direction. At that moment, Shuichi's eyes turned wide awake and he pursed his lips in anger.

"Look, I'm not here for interrogation so you're doing this in vain." Rye said, piercing the man with an intense gaze.

"I know! I don't really give a fuck what you know or don't know. I'm just doing this because it's amusing." The man smirked again.

At that moment, the door opened and Gin walked inside. His eyes locked on Rye, they were firing with anger and hatred, a bit reddish even.

"Get out!" He ordered the man without even drifting his gaze from Rye's.

The man did as told, he left the room and closed the door behind him. Gin walked to Rye and stood in front of him examining him for a second before sending a fist to his jaw.

"You bastard! One sister wasn't enough for you?"

Rye lifted his head slowly to face Gin again. "There's nothing between me and Shiho."

"Don't fucking lie to my face. How long has it been with you two?" Gin raged.

"See if you were good to her, you wouldn't be so worried about her cheating." Shuichi said, staring Gin back calmly.

Gin lifted his fist and punched the agent again. He proceeded to bring out a pocket knife from his pocket, he placed it on Shuichi's cheek. Gin's eyes were wide and immobile as they focused intensely on Rye.

"Says the man cheating on his girlfriend with her sister! I _WAS_ good to Sherry, and even if I wasn't that doesn't give you the right to do what you did."

The knife was pressed on Rye's skin so tightly that the smallest bit of pressure would suffice to cut him.

"You need to get your facts straight. I have never cheated on Akemi and you were not good to Shiho, you treated her badly and I only intervened to stop it, nothing more." Rye said, still keeping his composure.

"Deny it all you want, I'm gonna punish you regardless. I will until you beg me for a quick death." Gin stopped for a moment and grinned. "…But I'll ensure to make it as slow as possible."

Trying to prove Gin wrong was unattainable, Gin was bound to believe what he wanted to believe. Gin moved the knife down from Shuichi's cheek to his shoulder, he slid it down cutting all the duct tape that pinned the agent to the chair.

"If you kill me now, how will you explain it to Anokata?"

Gin took him by the collar and rose him closer to his face. "You'd be long dead by then you wouldn't care to know the answer." He said, before throwing him across the room.

Shuichi's cheek laid firmly on the dust coated floor. Gin walked to him and started sending him multiple kicks with his foot. Shuichi tried to fight back but his hands and legs were tight up, allowing him nothing but a defensive position.

(*)

When she reached her sister's apartment door, Akemi stopped in her tracks. Her hand hesitated between getting back into her pocket and leaving or knocking on the door, after taking a deep breath, she decided to go with the latter.

The sudden knock brought Shiho out of her thoughts. She stood up and slowly walked to the door, holding her phone tightly with Dai's name on the screen. If it's Gin behind the door, she will call Dai to come rescue her. Gin must be so angry at her and if she doesn't take good precautions to protect herself she might end up dead.

Looking through the peephole made her eyes widen. _It's Akemi's! What could bring her here at such time without calling? Could what she feared had happened? Did Gin hurt Dai?_

Shiho placed her hand on the doorknob, but when she remembered what a mess her face looked, she withdrew it. _She doesn't want Akemi to see her like this._

On the other side of the door, Akemi was persistent with her knocks. She waited for her sister to open up patiently, Shiho still didn't open.

Shiho stood behind the door silently waiting for Akemi to leave, that's when her phone rang causing her to jump. And of course, it was Akemi calling. Shiho decided to ignore it and pretend that she's not home, but Akemi retrieved knocking.

"Open up Shiho, I know that you're here."

Shiho took in a deep breath. She thought of a scenario to explain her bruises then opened the door.

Akemi's face twisted painfully soon as her eyes laid on her sister's._ So it is true what Gin had told her, he did beat Shiho up after he caught her cheating._

"Ah, Hey Akemi.. Don't freak out I'm fine. I just fell and-"

"Don't lie to me Shiho, this is not the doing of a fall, somebody had hit you." Shiho looked at Akemi in silence thinking of what to say next, but Akemi went on, on the verge of crying. "I know it was Gin!"

The youngest stood startled not knowing how Akemi knew! _Could it be Dai had told her? He did persuade her to open up to Akemi earlier, but that doesn't mean he'd just go and tell the secret he kept for over a year. So what she's been avoiding all of this time happened, Akemi was obviously worried about her and she needed to fix it._

"Well yes, yes I just, it was nothing, I'm fine now so don't worry about me. It's not gonna happen again." Shiho said.

"Worry about you?" Akemi whispered, looking puzzled.

"Did Dai Kun tell you about that?"

Akemi shook her head. "Gin told me."

"What!" Shiho frowned.

"He told me everything…" Akemi stopped and sobbed. Even though Gin's tale had enough evidence to be believed, Akemi did not want to believe it and still had hope, she wanted to hold on to any little hint that proved it wrong. She took a step closer towards her sister and held her shoulders. "Shiho, please tell me it's not true!"

"Akemi, calm down and tell me what he told you." Shiho placed her hand on her sister's, she didn't know what Gin told her, but she did not expect him to expand his paranoia and voice it to Akemi as reality.

"Have you and Gin been dating?" Akemi asked.

"Yes!" Shiho whispered while tilting her head down. She couldn't lie to her sister after being directly asked. Shiho felt ashamed for hurting Akemi by keeping such an important thing from her when she told her everything.

"How long?"

"A long time. Akemi, I'm sorry I didn't tell you but I didn't want you to worry about me."

"What about Dai?"

"What about him?"

Akemi stared at her sister for a moment, tears streamed down her cheeks against her will.

"Gin told me about you two… you two…" She trailed off.

Shiho shook her head. "No!"

"I didn't want to believe him, but everything that he said was true, even about Dai and Vermouth… And then I started making connections and, and suddenly, everything made sense perfectly… Those times we went out and you two acted strangely, I always knew something was going on in the back with you two but never have I expected it to be… This!"

"No no Akemi! It's not what you think-"

"Then what is it Shiho? Why did he hit you and Dai? He even showed me a picture of you two going into your apartment on that same day, he told me he caught you two…" Akemi trailed off again and surrendered to her tears, she felt like she was on the verge of losing everything. A life without her only family and without the love of her life was meaningless, and she was about to lose both.

Shiho took in a deep breath. She stared into Akemi's eyes and prepared to let all of her masks crumble. The sisters sat in the living room and shared a long conversation that lasted for an hour, Shiho informed her sister about all of the past years, about her relationship with Gin, how he abused her and how she hid it all to not let Akemi worry, how Dai realized it and tried to help her, how Gin hurt her and Dai on that day because of his possessive paranoia, and how he used that to manipulate the brunette.

Akemi cried hearing all the horror her sister's been through when she was living a happy life with her boyfriend, her sister was suffering and _s_he was clueless all along. She kept on apologizing for Shiho because she believed Gin for a moment. Shiho didn't seem to be angry about it yet Akemi felt shameful and kept on repeating her apologies.

The two sisters hugged each other for a very long time, they cried on each other's shoulders offering comfort in a world too dark for them to live in.

(*)

Akemi felt horrible for falsely accusing Dai. The first thing she did when she left Shiho was to head to his apartment, but he wasn't there. She tried calling him but it went directly to his voicemail, she left him a message telling him that she needs to speak with him. As days passed, Dai didn't turn his phone on. Akemi went to his apartment twice to check if he was there but he wasn't. Eventually, she decided to call Shiho and voice her worries.

The two sisters chatted for a while before hanging up. Shiho succeeded to reassure Akemi about her boyfriend, but what she failed to do was to reassure herself. Before getting a call from Akemi she tried contacting Dai and she realized he was missing, and she knew for sure that Gin was the one responsible. She spent the past days worried sick, she couldn't eat or sleep, yet she couldn't do anything about it.

She was scared of going to Gin. With him being angry at her and Dai being gone she had no protection. After quarreling with herself, she couldn't bear it any longer. She decided to go to Gin, even if he ends up taking her life she wouldn't care, she was the one that got Dai involved in this and she ought to be the one to get him out even if it required sacrificing herself, because she knew that if he somehow ends up killed by Gin, she won't bear living.

When Gin opened the door, he gave her his trademark grin.

"See Sherry! I always tell you you can't run away from me. I don't understand why you even try? You're a smart woman, you should know better."

Shiho looked at him with a serious expression, waiting for him to finish his sentence.

"Where is Dai san?" She asked.

"Worried about that cheating bastard? I wonder if I disappear, would you worry about me that much?"

_Gin knew Dai had disappeared, so it is he who took him._ Shiho felt her heart beating faster scared of knowing what happened to him. _Could it be Gin got impatient and killed her Dai? She knew he would do it in a heartbeat but still wanted not to believe it._

"Gin, I did not cheat on you with Dai san. I'm looking for him because Akemi's worried about him, so stop the nonsense and tell me where he is." She said with a poker face, while on the inside she was burning to ask him more. She wanted to know how Dai was, whether he was dead or alive and a million other things.

"Akemi? I thought she realized how much of an asshole he is, I'm surprised she still wants anything to do with him."

"You mean she was manipulated by you to believe it, but now she knows the truth."

"I didn't manipulate her, I told her what's there."

"Well, you were wrong. Now tell me where he is?"

"And what will you give me in return?" He approached her, pulling her inside his house and closing the door behind her.

Shiho felt sick, she doesn't even want to look Gin in the eye anymore, the mere touch of him pulling her to the inside made her feel nauseous.

"I don't have to give you anything! Dai didn't do anything wrong so punishing him for your delusions is just wrong. Not to mention that he's the organization's best sniper, Anokata won't like it of you do anything to him."

"There's nothing to prove that my thoughts are wrong. As for Anokata, who do you think is more valuable to him? One that served him for over ten years and executed his plans perfectly, Or one that's been around for less than 2 years?"

"Gin please!" Shiho's voice turned soft and gentle.

"Why do you go to such length to save him, Shiho?" Gin suddenly yelled, propping himself against the door with his left hand, hovering over Shiho's fragile body, jealousy fueled him. "For all of those years I've been good to you, I cared about you and gave you everything but then one day, that bastard comes and takes everything away! And now you only care about him and expect me to be okay with it."

"I only care about my sister. I came here because _she_ is worried about him. Won't you get it Gin? Nothing is between me and Dai! What he did the other day is a normal reaction of any man seeing a woman getting hit by another man."

Gin looked at her while processing what she said. She didn't really convince him, but he missed her so much and having her standing so close was an obstacle to his logical thinking. For a moment, he stopped caring about her cheating, about where Dai is and what brought her to his house in the first place. He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers.

Shiho tried following his pace and kissed back, thankful that he finally believed her and hoping that he would tell her Dai's location. But she couldn't go on, she felt like she can't go on with it and she had to stop. She pulled back.

Gin drifted down to her neck, tracing kisses all over it. Shiho placed her hands on his shoulders, not daring to push him back but not letting him come any closer.

"Gin, please!" She whispered in his ear.

He suddenly lifted his head to look her in the eye. He stared at her for a moment before turning on his heels and heading to the bedroom.

"Leave." He said in a low voice as he crossed his way.

At this moment, Gin knew it was true! _All of his suspicions, she must love Dai to deny him like this_. _He wanted to hurt her, to punish her for it, to kill her, but he still couldn't do it to his Sherry, he will when he starts loving her less but for now, he'll punish Dai for it instead, he will make him regret taking Sherry away from him._

Gin got inside the bedroom slamming the door shut behind him. Shiho stood by the door confused. She could leave and be thankful that he spared her life, but then she'll never see Dai again. She stood there hesitant between leaving or going after Gin. _If_ _it meant a possibility of saving Dai, she will do whatever it takes_. She threw her purse on the floor behind the door and walked to the bedroom after Gin.

(*)

Shuichi laid on the floor feeling exhausted. He doesn't even know for how long he's been stuck in this room. There was no window to enable him to count the days and nights that passed, just a lamp hanging in the middle. He hasn't had anything to eat since he came here. Surrounded by four concrete walls, there was nothing else to do but stare at them. He felt like he was slowly going insane.

Shuichi was all tied up. There was no way out of the room he was inside but the door which was locked. Not only that but he noted the presence of guards outside, a lot of them, the place looked like another facility of the organization with people working around.

Shuichi invested the free time he had to reflect on his infiltration. The work of two years of his life was ruined, he lost time and lost the FBI an important mission and now he was about to lose his life, and all of it was because he put his feelings first. It was not like him to put his feelings before the job, he was always a professional man, but this time he did, and strangely, he didn't regret it, he'd even do it again if he had to. He couldn't stand seeing Gin hurt Shiho and not do anything to stop him. That's how he knew that she gained his heart, if he went out of his way to put her before his job, then that means she's far more important to him than he admitted to himself.

The door to the cell suddenly opened distracting Shuichi from his train of thoughts.

After spending last night with Shiho, Gin promised her that he'll let Dai go back to Akemi. But when his eyes laid on the agent, his thoughts had changed. He remembered that Shiho had feelings for him_, that son of a bitch_, and suddenly, the thought of killing him seemed too appealing to dismiss despite the promise he had made.

Gin walked towards the agent, grabbing him by the hair and raising his head up, he turned the agent to face a bucket and plunged his head in the water. Shuichi's muscles weakened after three days of no food and pain, nevertheless, he resisted Gin. He kept on struggling under Gin's grasp until Gin brought him back to the air. Shuichi inhaled deeply for the air, but before he could fill his lungs Gin sunk him again, this time, he kept him long enough that his lungs sagged and inhaled involuntarily for the air, but it only received water. Shuichi felt like he was going to die. Gin pulled him back again, Shuichi spend the few seconds coughing the water out instead of getting air, so when Gin plunged him again, he had no supply of air, his lungs started contracting immediately and water filled all of their compartments, his heart was beating too fast he could hear it and his limbs weakened as his struggles lessened with time. _This was it, the moment it all ends!_

"Enough!" A voice called from behind Gin. Gin didn't care to listen.

"I said enough!" Vermouth repeated, pushing Gin away and grabbing Shuichi by his shirt and lifting him up from the water and onto the ground.

"Get out of here Vermouth! You have nothing to do in this place." Gin said.

Actually, Shuichi was trapped in a highly secured area reserved for the organization's prisoners, from interrogated agents to kidnapped people. That's why he had no chance of getting out. Gin frequently works here but Vermouth had nothing to do with this work.

"I came on behalf of Boss. What were you thinking, Gin? Did you think you can get away with this easily?"

"I'm doing what needs to be done." He stood up and lit a cigarette.

"What needs to be done?" Vermouth smiled with raised eyebrows. "You mean using the organization's facility to get a personal vendetta? Not only that but trying to kill one of our best recruited members?"

"He's not the best, we got plenty of people to fill his place."

"Anyway, Anokata didn't like you going behind his back with this, he wants to talk to you."

Gin just looked at Vermouth annoyed.

"Now!" She added, and he left with no protest.

The blonde looked at Rye, she examined him for a while before turning to the man standing by the door. It was the man with the tatoos that brought Shuichi here three days ago. She whispered something in his ear and left.

* * *

**Hello everyone! I hope you had a great week!** **I'm sorry for taking too long to update.** **The next chapter will be updated soon.**

**Next chapter: Shiho breakes down in front of Shuichi.**


	17. Vacation

Shuichi did have the keys to Akemi's apartment but he preferred to knock. He waited for her to open up already knowing what face she would make when she sees him, and she did just that.

Her eyes widened, horrified, as they walked from one injury to another. Akemi felt her heart fall, seeing her boyfriend's left eye swollen, he can't be seeing a thing out of that and he won't for a while. Her eyes drifted to the purple patches all over his cheek and jaw and her bottom lip trembled.

It's only been five days since she'd last seen him but he looked like he'd lost weight already, his dark circles were darkened more, enough to make him look like he hasn't slept in weeks.

"Dai kun!" She called with a barely audible voice.

Shuichi looked at her with a stoic expression. "It's alright...I'm okay!"

Akemi approached him, throwing herself in his embrace like a bullet and wrapping both of her arms around him in a tight hug. Shuichi winced from the sudden movement, his chest was no exception too, it had purple patches, he was lucky to not have broken bones. He wrapped his arms around Akemi, preparing to tell her what he came to say. But before he does, he needed to give her this hug first.

Akemi's head dived into his board chest, minutes passed with the both of them standing in silence. Akemi didn't say a thing but Dai knew she was crying, he just caressed her hair, repeating that it's okay. It wasn't until after a while that she spoke again.

"I'm so sorry!" She apologized, and he knew exactly for what; It was for questioning his faithfulness, for falsely accusing him of having an affair with Vermouth and Shiho and for believing a deceiving manipulator as Gin over his word.

"Can we go inside now?" Shuichi asked, voice so gentle. Akemi freed him from her hug remembering that they were standing in the building's hallway, she walked in and he followed her.

"Go there! Have a seat, you must be tired." She said with a concerned look, gesturing to the couch.

"No, I'm fine. I have to go actually."

"So fast?" Her brows raised.

"Yeah! I came here because I needed to tell you something and then I'm leaving."

"Where to?"

"…Somewhere that's not here."

"I… Dai kun!" She started, confused.

"I need some time alone Akemi, to rest, but not here, I need some change."

"Well, we can go somewhere together if you want, we can get a hotel in Osaka and spend-" She started, with a hint of a smile.

"No! I need to go alone, I think you and I have some things to think about separately." Dai interjected, and her eyes sparkled with pain immediately.

Akemi opened her mouth for a moment not sure what to say. "…What things?"

"Things like you not trusting me! You were completely convinced that I had cheated on you with other people and to be honest, I didn't think you'd ever believe that, especially when it's coming from Gin."

"But Dai kun! He showed me a picture and told me a story and then, and then you came in and lied to me, I didn't want to believe him but at the time it seemed plausible and I just…" She shook her head.

"If he told me you were cheating I wouldn't have believed him, because I trust you, doesn't matter what he says, doesn't matter what anyone else say, as long as he didn't show me a picture of you kissing another man I would stand up for you, but that's not what you did."

"But then he told me he beat you up and you came home just as he described, how was I supposed to know you were defending Shiho? I was thinking what could possibly make him hit you? And if he did for some reason, why would he take the time to come and lie to me about it?" Her voice started shaking as she went on, fearing the thought of losing Dai. "Gin got to me but there was always that little part of me that didn't want to believe him… I'm sorry that I did, Dai kun."

Shuichi had to step on his heart and go on, although her trembling voice made him want to just shut up and hug her.

"I still think we should take a break, Akemi." His eyes pierced through her, looking deadly serious.

Akemi felt hurt, she missed him so much through the last 5 days and longed to get back with him but now he's leaving, and she can't do anything about it, she had no choice but to let him go for she can't force him to stay.

"How long?" Her voice was weak, fearing the answer.

"I don't know." He answered calmly.

"Okay!" She whispered against her will.

Dai nodded and left the apartment leaving Akemi alone with her tears, she feared that he might not come back again and she couldn't bear the thought of it.

Shuichi wasn't really that mad at Akemi, he just used their argument as an excuse to leave without having to tell her where he was going. After that he headed to his apartment, gathered what's most important to him in a backpack and flew to America under another alias to avoid the organization knowing about him leaving the country.

Shuichi had a lot of reasons to do this; First, he had to report, because the three days he'd spent in the organization's facility taught him a lot, like the fact that their prison is located right underneath the lab, it was the second basement, but basements had a denied access for most members, even scientists, so Shiho probably didn't know what's down there.

And second, he had to clear his mind. Shuichi's emotions started controlling his judgment and he didn't like that one bit, he had to remind himself what his goal and priorities are, that those people are the bad ones, and even if there were a few good ones, his connection with them is not real, they know Moroboshi not Akai, that if they'd known the real him they'd kill him, he needed to remind himself of that.

He had to get Shiho out of his system too, because loving her will only cause him ruin, it would ruin Akemi and would ruin his mission, not only that but it was a dead end road, she certainly doesn't like him back and even if she did, it'd be immoral to act upon their feelings. Shuichi had to get this into his brain and get her out of it.

Apart from Shiho, he needed to clear his mind from Gin too, because right now, if he sees him, he wasn't sure he could control himself, damn he would kill him, he would kill him then and there. Again, he had to remind himself that his mission is the priority and killing Gin would ruin all of his progress. So he needs to get him out of his mind to not do something stupid when he sees him next time.

And last but not least, he needed to recover. Shuichi was tired, so tired, both physically and emotionally, he can't even remember when was the last time he slept properly without thinking of someone breaking into his room and killing him. He was good at not keeping traces to lead to his real identity, but the organization was equally good at uncovering agents, they had a nose for them and when they find out about them, it never ends well.

Soon as he stepped into the JFK airport, he took a deep breath of the American air. This will be a well deserved vacation after almost 2 years of infiltrating.

(*)

"…and then he left" Akemi sobbed.

Listening to her sister's sobs on the phone, Shiho couldn't help but feel somehow responsible. Gin only targeted Dai because of her, if it weren't for her he wouldn't have tried to sabotage Dai's relationship with Akemi, which resulted in Akemi's doubts and distrust and eventually Dai leaving.

"I'm sorry sweetie! But it's just a break. If he wanted to end things he would've told you, instead he just wanted a break. Maybe he just needs it. I'm sure he'll be coming back to you soon."

"What if he wouldn't forgive me?"

Shiho thought for a moment. She remembered when she and Dai had kissed, he was convinced that he'd cheated on Akemi back then and felt horrible for it. So if he's convinced that he cheated, he would forgive Akemi for thinking that he did cheat. It might even help him ease his guilt, having her doubt him and do him wrong is better than having her trust him when he was convinced he did wrong.

"I'm sure he will. You've been together for so long and he loves you, this is not a reason for him to stop." Shiho's eyebrows drew in the middle. She loved him so much and this call was only a reminder that she's never gonna be with him. Thank God Akemi couldn't see her through the phone.

"You should've seen him Shiho, I couldn't even recognize him at first, his eye was so swollen he couldn't see through it and he was injured… he was injured everywhere…" Akemi broke down in tears. "I should be taking care of him but now I don't even know where he went."

Shiho listened carefully. Knowing what happened to Dai made her heart ache, she knew what a monster Gin was but to pull his monstrosity off on Dai because he tried to protect her! She felt responsible and she felt awful. She loved Dai so much she couldn't bear him being hurt by anything, but she only caused him that. Every time he tried to help, she causes him pain. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she imagined the atrocity of what he's been through, but her voice was steady unlike her sister.

"What matters is that he's fine now, he'll recover and be back for you in no time… Now that I think of it, maybe he just used that excuse to take a break only because he didn't want you to see him with swollen eyes?"

"I don't think so!" Akemi said.

"Or maybe he's just avoiding the soup you make when he's sick." Shiho smiled remembering Akemi's awful cooking, tears still wet her cheek

Akemi giggled. "That makes more sense."

When she made sure her sister's mood lightened up, Shiho ended the call, sinking again in her dark thoughts. Gin told her he's coming over later. He's back to his ways as if nothing had changed between them and Shiho hated it.

Before she used not to mind Gin, it was almost as if she was numbed. And then Dai came and she saw what a real relationship was meant to be like, she saw how caring, gentle and loving he was with Akemi and it suddenly awakened her emotions. She started longing to have someone similar to Dai as her boyfriend, _hell she wanted him to be her boyfriend_.

With that came the dislike of Gin's ways but she didn't try to stop him. But now, after her feelings developed to become so strong towards Dai, and after Gin hurt him, she felt disgusted by the silver haired man, she couldn't bear him, or the sight of his face, or his touches, or his voice… Everything about Gin was like a repelling bullet to her. He still came to visit her regardless, and she couldn't deny him to not let him hurt Dai again, but having to stand him while having those strong feelings of hatred towards him was torturous.

Shiho heard a knock on the door, she wiped her tears with her sleeve and stood up with a sigh and a heavy feeling lying on her chest, she looked through the peephole… It was Gin as expected.

(*)

As days passed, Shiho started worrying about Dai not coming back. It's been 2 weeks since he last appeared on Akemi's steps and he disappeared since. He was not in his apartment and his phone was off and she had no hint to guide her as to where he had gone.

Maybe he was fed up with the organization especially after the last experience with Gin. He never liked working for them anyways, she knew for he suffered every time he harvested a soul, yet she never understood his motives to continue working. Dai was an enigma for her, a man that's hard to figure out, maybe that's why she fell for him, she was experienced enough to analyze anybody but she failed with him, no matter how long she knew him she could never guess what's on his mind, what he plans to do or what he had done.

Shiho didn't realize how much he meant for her until she lost him, she knew that she loved him but what she didn't know was how safe he made her feel. Ever since he had left, she couldn't help but feel exposed, she was more vulnerable to Gin. Before, she always had the choice of calling Dai to come to her rescue even if she didn't use it, but now, she has absolutely nothing. Shiho had to suck up her hatred for Gin and had to stay on his good side lest he hurt her or her sister, but it was harder to do now that she couldn't bear his closeness.

It was 10 pm on a Wednesday. Shiho was reading a fashion magazine with a cup of wine placed near her. She wanted to enjoy this night after the several awful previous ones. Gin didn't contact her today so he's probably not coming over, and her favorite monthly magazine arrived the morning so she was in for a treat.

The redhead tucked a hair strand behind her ear as she flipped the page. Suddenly, she heard a knock and her head immediately lifted to look at the wooden door ahead of her. _This can't be happening! Not today Gin! Why, just why does he always pick bad times?_

Shiho grabbed her wine glass, taking some generous sips before heading to the door and opening it with frustration. But what she saw in there made her mood instantly shift. It was Dai, supporting his weight to the door frame and looking so handsome.

"Dai san! You're back!" Shiho grinned.

"I am...Did you miss me?" He smirked. Shiho's never been a fan of that cocky look but right now, that was everything she needed in life. She tapped her forefinger on her cheek pretending to be in thought.

"Umm, I guess I did, a little bit." She said, gesturing for him to get inside.

Dai just nodded. He seemed not to be affected by her words as he maintained the smug look on his face. He took a step to the inside and aimed for the living room, but Shiho stopped him in his tracks. The redhead grabbed him by his shirt and dived in his broad chest like a bullet, hugging him tightly.

Shuichi wrapped an arm around her, tapping her back before returning it to his pocket. He couldn't help but smile at her hug. I_t's exactly how Akemi does it too, sudden and strong. He wondered if it's a family thing?_

When Shiho felt him removing his arm from her back, she knew that the hug was meant to be over, but she despised that. She missed him so much and wanted to keep him close for longer. Shiho retreated from his embrace grudgingly.

Shuichi had both of his hands inside his pocket, he walked towards the living room with her beside him.

"Did you talk to Akemi?" She asked.

"I was with her actually." He sat down on the couch.

Shiho took a seat next to him. _Of course, he spoke with Akemi! Of course, he'd go to her first! __She's his priority! But Shiho was what? __She's lucky to have him care enough to come over._

Shiho let out a long sigh. "How are you?"

"I'm good!"

"Akemi told me that you were hurt. I'm so sorry, Dai san, this is all because of me." She said. A hint of guilt and responsibility was very obvious in her tone.

"Don't be! That's in the past, I'm good now."

"Please forgive Akemi for accusing you, it's not her fault it's mine."

"I already did, and no it's not your fault it's that bastard's."

Shiho didn't want to dive into a conversation about Gin, so she got up from her seat. "Umm! What do you wanna drink?"

"I want nothing, I came here just to talk." Shuichi said, crossing his legs comfortably.

"Oh! I just remembered I have a bottle of bourbon, I noticed it's your favorite drink." She said, recalling the times she caught him drinking, _it was always a bottle of bourbon._

"No Shiho not that." Shuichi answered fast. He'd never drink around Shiho again, she's hard enough to resist when sober let alone if drunk.

"Juice?"

He shook his head.

"Then I'll bring you water."

"You really want me to drink something do you?" He smiled and it was like time had stopped for Shiho who stared at him admirably. "I really don't want anything. Just sit down and talk to me."

If not making his teasy smirk, Dai would always look deadly serious, sometimes even brooding. The man knows how to scowl, but what he doesn't know how to do is how to smile. So on the rare occasions that he genuinely smiles, it comes as something of a surprise. It's like the sun emerging from behind dark thunderclouds and then disappearing again.

Looking at Dai's smile warmed Shiho's heart. She grabbed her glass of wine and took a seat next to the agent. She doesn't know where he has been but she could tell he's way more relaxed and content now, it's all over his face and even manifested in his voice and his sudden openness to talk.

"Where have you been for the past two weeks?" She asked, taking a sip from her glass.

"I was rediscovering Japan! I went to Kyoto, Tottori, Okayama, and Kagawa." Shuichi said. This was planned by the FBI too to cover his 2 weeks vacation, he got reservations on hotels all over the 4 cities with his alias of Dai for in case someone tried to dig in his absence.

"I think I could use a vacation too, you seem more relaxed after you came back."

"You do! It feels like cutting ties with an old time and starting fresh on a new page. You could use that especially after what happened with Gin." Shuichi uncrossed his legs and went on. "Speaking of the devil, what'd you do with him?"

Shiho took a slow sip of her glass, gaining time to think of what to say.

"You're still with him?" Shuichi asked, a deep frown splitting his face.

"Yes!" Her low, uncharacteristically insecure voice answered.

"Why? You bore it when he abused you but now he's beaten you up so what are you waiting for?" Shuichi's voice lost all signs of calmness, it was filled with anger now, loud even.

"It's more complicated than that." Shiho's voice on the other hand was too calm.

"What's more complicated? What part do you fail to understand that prevents you from ending things? Tell me and I'll simplify it for you."

"You don't understand!" She looked away from him, putting her glass on the coffee table.

"I understand damn well. He's treating you like shit, he's been doing it for God knows how long so it's about time you put an end to it, which is what you're gonna do next time you meet him."

"That's my decision to make, you don't have a saying in that." Shiho fired back when she sensed him dominating her.

"EVEN SO…" Shuichi yelled causing Shiho to stiffen. It was a reflex acquired from Gin, although she knew Dai wouldn't hurt her, she couldn't stop herself from doing it.

When Shuichi realized how loud his voice was getting, he cleared his throat and started over from the beginning with a lower voice. _It was scary how much she made him lose his control despite him being known for his stoic nature, Shiho brings out another side in him, a side he has no control over, and he surely hated not having control on it._

"Even so, I'm not letting you ruin your life any longer… You deserve better."

"Maybe I don't. Maybe Gin is exactly what I deserve." She said, eyes drifting away from Dai again. Shiho loved him despite knowing he belonged to Akemi, and even allowed herself to kiss him once. She was convinced she didn't deserve better.

Shiho felt Dai's slender finger crawl on her heated skin, he cupped her cheek and gently turned her to face him. Just the touch of his hand made her thoughts turn into chaos.

"Don't ever say that again. You deserve better than that bastard, and you will, find someone better than him." He softly said.

"I won't" She answered almost immediately. _The only person she wanted was sitting in front of her, but she knew for sure he wasn't hers. _

"Yes, you will!"

"I'm not even allowed to meet new people."

"That doesn't mean you have to stick with Gin."

"You just, you don't understand."

"What? What's preventing you? Do you love him?" Shuichi finally asked. _He believed that she did because it was the only explanation he could find for her actions._

Shiho took a long moment to respond. She was torn between continuing hiding behind her masks or telling the truth.

"No!" She finally said with a shaky voice, although she hated her weakness showing. _She decided to tell the truth, it felt good to open up to Akemi so she'll open up to Dai too. Lies are exhausting._

"Then what? What is it?"

"I….I'm scared….… I'm scared that he might hurt me or,... or try to hurt you and Akemi." Shiho answered honestly, her words took long to come out and she stopped as she spoke but Dai listened patiently.

"You do know that he can't, right? You're a high ranked irreplaceable member, If he does anything to you Anokata will kill him, so he can't really do shit to you."

"He could." Shiho frowned and took in shaky breath "You don't know him, he gets… crazy.. and he stops caring about everyone and everything, and just… he starts hurting people."

Shiho's breathing was already starting to get heavy recalling her past with Gin, how scary his temper and anger were, how possessive and paranoid he was and how many times he hurt men thinking they had a connection with her when they did not. She recalled the memory of him finding someone standing close to her after he had doubts about him having feelings for Shiho. Gin walked in, brought his gun out and shot the man's knee mercilessly without saying a word. Shiho had always had that memory so vivid in her mind, she remembered his blood splattering on her white lab coat and her shaky limbs. For all she knows, that person could be Akemi, or Dai. The awful memory triggered a deep fear in her and it was all over her face.

Shuichi was pained to see how scared she was, she must've been badly abused to get to this point, he cursed Gin for it.

"Even if he does, how long are you planning to keep up with it?"

"I don't know." She shook her head, face suddenly twisting as she thought about her dead end future. She looked on the verge of crying. "You saw what he did to you! He could've killed you." Her tears came out when she said the last words, unable to imagine a world where Dai is dead, she rushed to wipe them not wanting Dai to see them although she knew it was too late. "He would do the same to Akemi, if I'm too precious for Boss then he'll kill you both and he'll kill me when I finish the research."

Shuichi was pained to see Shiho like that. He's always perceived her as a strong woman, an unbreakable even, so seeing her reduced to tears only translates how unbearably bad her sorrows were. He leaned in and grabbed her, pulling her closer. He wrapped his long arms around her, he felt her body shake and it made his anger at Gin amplify more.

"I will never allow that!" He said.

"Please make him stop, Dai san, I can't stand him anymore, I can't stand the sight of him." She sobbed in his shirt.

"I will... I will." He spoke in her hair, voice so soft, barely audible.

* * *

**Next chapter: Shuichi finally ****finds a way to help Shiho****, he's thrilled to let her know about it.**


	18. Surprise!

While the rest of the world embraced their dreams, Shuichi was still tossing and turning in darkness. He was no stranger to insomnia, it was the companion that won't quit whenever his brain begged for unconsciousness. This time though, his brain didn't beg for sleep, he wanted to be awake and needed his brain to light up and think.

Shuichi couldn't forget Shiho's request earlier today. He promised her that he'll stop Gin for her, but Gin was no easy villain to take down. He can't stop him by simply beating him up, the member will certainly emerge back even worse than before. The only way to conquer Gin would be if he kills him, but that's against the agent's morals, not to mention that Gin has a higher rank and killing him will get Shuichi killed by the organization. Another possibility to conquer Gin would be getting him captured by the FBI, but the agency still refuses to do so. In fact, Shuichi was ordered to investigate more, to dive deeper and uncover the boss's identity before they could actually capture members.

In the past weeks Shuichi had spent in the US, he reported to the FBI all of his progress. The agent didn't tell them much about the drama between Shiho and Gin and himself. He did tell them that he's not getting along with Gin but didn't give any details as to why.

The FBI was well aware of how important Gin was and how close he was to the boss, they were certain that this member could open new doors to their investigation and provide them with precious intel. For that reason, their instructions were strict and clear, and very reasonable too; Shuichi was ordered to stay on the good side of Gin, to try and get closer to him, and even if he couldn't achieve that, to stay on his neutral side and not make of him an enemy.

Shuichi always considers his mission a priority, so he had to grudgingly accept. Yet he wanted to convey his promise to Shiho. But before he could do, he needed to think of a sure way that will get rid of Gin's danger forever without having to risk his mission and his connections with the organization.

Shuichi was pained to realize how scared Shiho was despite her playing the role of a fearless woman. He wanted to make her feel safe, he wanted to protect her, but with Gin and the FBI and the conflict of interest, it seemed like there was no way for him to achieve what he wanted until it suddenly struck him!

His greens that were getting heavy from sleep suddenly turned wide awake and a faint smile tickled his lips. He finally got an idea, it might not suffice to stop Gin but it will make Shiho feel safe, and that in itself is a victory.

(*)

Unable to wait any longer, Shuichi sipped his morning coffee then drove to Shiho's apartment. It was still 8 am, probably too early but he didn't care.

When Shiho heard the door knocking, she was still in the bathroom. Her hair was all wet and her whole body steamed from the warmth of the shower. She was a bit confused. N_obody comes to her house at this hour usually, even Gin never comes at mornings._

Shiho walked out of the bathroom wearing a beige bathrobe, she heard the door knocking again.

"Coming!" She yelled.

The redhead finally got to the door and looked through the peephole. She was relieved to know it was Dai behind the door, but her confusion was not yet cleared.

"Good morning!" She said when she opened.

"Morning!..." Shuichi said before noting what she wore. "I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time."

"Not at all, I just finished showering. Come in."

Shuichi got inside and closed the door behind him, the two proceeded walking to the inside.

"So, what brings you here this early?"

"Actually Shiho, I was wondering if I could borrow you for the day."

"Borrow me?" she looked him wonderingly.

"Uh-huh."

"For what?"

"It's a surprise."

"Interesting!" Her lips suddenly twisted into a smile.

"So are you in or not?" Shuichi asked, taking a seat in an armchair.

"I'm in, I just need to call the lab and put on some clothes." Shuichi nodded and Shiho took two steps before stopping again. "There's fresh coffee in the coffee pot, suit yourself."

"Ah Shiho, wear something comfortable, like a sweatsuit."

"Alright!" Shiho turned and continued walking towards her bedroom.

After ten minutes she appeared again. She was wearing a nice, elegant, dark blue jumpsuit with three quarter sleeves and a boat shoe, unlike her usual high heels.

Shuichi looked her up and down.

"Is this a sweatsuit for you?"

"It's comfortable!" She shrugged.

"That won't work, wear a sweatsuit."

With most of her time spent in the lab, Shiho never gets a chance to hit the gym. So it was no wonder that her wardrobe only consisted of elegant clothes that are suitable for work and dinners but nothing sporty.

"You see, I actually haven't got a chance to go shopping for a long time so I'm afraid I don't have that." She winced.

Shuichi stared at her and sighed. "Alright then, let's go shopping."

"What?"

"What!"

"I just, I didn't expect to hear that from you, but since you insist." She gave him a silly smile, grabbing her purse.

Shopping was one of the few joys in Shiho's life, along with Dai san, and now, she was about to get both of them together, and she felt so happy about it.

Shiho was a fashion freak, she was really picky when it comes to clothes but since Dai was accompanying her, she had to pick fast, Dai didn't have much patience for shopping, unlike Akemi. Shiho found one that was decent for her taste, simple and practical. She tried it on.

"What do you think?" She asked.

The sweatsuit fitted her perfectly just like anything else she puts on her skin, she surely had a gift of pulling off anything. Shuichi was sitting outside the changing room, he loved how she looked but he didn't express much, he just told her 'it' looks good. It made Shiho internally roll her eyes. _Can't even tell her 'you' look good._

Ten minutes later, they were both hitting the road. Shiho breathed in the smell of the morning, this day had a different feeling for her, the sun seemed brighter, people walking by seemed happier, everything looked better. It was as if loads of luck were following her with every step she took.

Not knowing where she was going was a fun experience. She knew that wherever they end up being and whatever the surprise turns out to be, as long as she's with Dai she'll like it and she'll be happy. She wondered if it's like this to be with Dai every day, and she envied Akemi for it.

"You're gonna pass by your apartment?" She asked when they took a turn that leads to Dai's apartment complexe.

"We are going to my apartment, it's the final stop."

"And the surprise?"

"It's in there." He stole a look at her from the corner of his eye. "I hope you didn't get your hopes high, I'm afraid you're gonna be disappointed now."

"I don't think I could be disappointed, I woke up today expecting another day in the lab but winded up shopping instead. You already made my day better, so whatever you still have for me will only make me happier."

Shuichi parked his car and they both hopped out. They headed to the elevator and got off at the highest floor.

"You don't live here." Shiho noted.

"I partially do, just follow me."

They both walked the hallway until they reached a set of stairs, they took them and finally reached the rooftop of the building. The view of Tokyo looked so beautiful that Shiho thought it to be the surprise, although it would be more suitable to gift to his girlfriend.

"So is this the surprise?" She asked, looking down at the city.

"It's part of it, do you like it?" Dai smiled, it was like the sun emerging from dark thunderclouds adding to Shiho's joy and serenity. She unconsciously reciprocated his smile.

"Yes." (She had the same view from her apartment, but looking at it with Dai was another level of beauty.)

"As for the other part. Shiho, I need you to hit me." His smile disappeared and his serious face took over again.

"What are you saying?" Shiho still smiled with confusion.

"Come on, try it. If you want to stop Gin, then the first thing you should do is learn how to stop him yourself, you need to learn how to fight." His hands formed fists and he took a defensive position.

"And you're gonna teach me how to fight?"

"Yeah."

"I was trained by the organization actually, so no need for that."

"Then let me see what they taught you, hit me." Dai said, eyes filled with determination.

"Dai san, I can't."

"Come on, try it… "

Shiho threw a punch, but it was so weak and slow and got blocked by Dai with ease.

"You can pretend that I'm Gin if it makes it easier." He said.

The redhead inhaled deeply, she's always wanted to hit Gin, so maybe pretending that he was in front of her will unleash all of the frustration within her. She approached Dai and started punching him repetitively, but they all went in vain as he continued blocking them all.

"Harder, harder" Dai yelled, and she did as told, there comes a point when she was hitting him as hard as she could, she was seeing Gin instead and her strength was boosted by hate.

"Harder" He yelled again. But no matter how fast or strong her punches were, Dai kept blocking them all.

"Now stop." Shuichi said, bringing his hands down from the defensive position, but Shiho continued, abruptly punching him on the jaw.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry." Shiho gaped. She was seeing Gin in Dai and she felt frustrated that none of her attacks landed on him, just like in real life, Gin always got away with what he did and she's never been able to punish him. So when she got a chance she took it, only with the wrong person.

They both stood, panting.

"It's okay." Dai just said.

Shuichi's left hand formed a fist and he rapidly sent it to Shiho's abdomen. When he stopped, his knuckles were touching her skin, but he stopped at the right moment to not cause her pain.

Shiho's eyes were wide, staring down at Dai's fist.

"Your attacks are weak and unorganized, your defense reflexes are inexisting. Whoever had trained you didn't do it well." He said.

"In their defense, its been so long since I was trained, I've been more focused on developing the drug lately."

"Despite that, a well trained person would at least know the basics which you obviously don't… Look, first, you have to learn how to defend yourself, how to block attacks, and then we can move on to attacking opponents. Now hit me again and let's study the techniques that I use for blocking. But don't pretend that I'm Gin this time." He teased.

(*)

Shuichi swung his right fist sending it towards Shiho. In a fast move, she managed to block it by her forearm. A hint of a smile appeared on the agent's lips reflecting how proud he was of her, but that didn't stop him from sending her another with his left arm, only seconds after the first. If she ever gets to fight Gin, he won't show her mercy, and so had Dai when he trained her.

Dai and Shiho continued meeting every night, it's already been 10 days since they started. They had to reschedule their training sessions at night because they both have work in the morning.

Each night at 10 pm, right after she finishes her work at the lab, Shiho heads to Dai's apartment building and takes the stairs to the rooftop where she finds him waiting for her. It became her favorite part of the day, she patiently waits for the night to come just for that hour to spend training with Dai.

Unfortunately, Shiho failed to block the second attack. Dai was left handed so his left arm was impossible to block, it had incredible strength and speed. The fist landed on the right side of her abdomen and it caused her to groan. But Shiho didn't give up, she immediately restored her balance and sent a strong hit to Dai's jaw, but before it could reach it, he held her fist while still in the air and turned her around, locking her arm behind her back.

"Not bad, Miyano." He said, close to her ear.

Just when he freed her arm thinking the round was over, Shiho suddenly turned around, she placed both of her arms on Dai's shoulders and tried pushing him with all of her strength, but his legs stood stubbornly holding him upright,

"I like the element of surprise you add." He added. Shuichi copied Shiho's position by placing his hands on her shoulders, he then slowly forced her to fall to the ground by turning her to the side. "See! that's how it's done."

Shiho, who found herself sitting on the floor didn't give up still. When Dai brought her down, he bent to not let her fall violently on the ground. Shiho took the chance of him bending and grabbed him by his shoulders again and laid on her back, pulling him down along with her. It was easier pulling him than pushing him as he fell down. But before she could turn him to the floor on her side, Dai placed his hands on the ground, one to her left and one to her right gaining stability, Shuichi was kneeling on all fours now, on top of Shiho, right between her spreading legs, and once again, he was steady as a mountain.

Nevertheless, the redhead still looked insisting. Shuichi was hovering over her, only the length of his long arms keeping their faces apart, Shiho wrapped her legs around him and used her hands to bend his elbows, causing him to lose stability, for the fraction of second that he did, she rolled him to the side and landed on top of him with a victory smile. "You mean _THAT,_ is how it's done!"

"It would be if I didn't help you do it."

"You're just saying that because you lost." she snorted.

"Really!" He said, before rolling her on the ground and laying on top of her again. Shuichi was balancing his body by his knees and arms that were on the floor, and again, the length of his arms was the only distance between his and Shiho's faces. "Then try moving me now."

Shiho tried breaking his balance but she failed.

"Let's end it here today." Shuichi said, announcing the end of the session.

He was still on his position kneeling on all fours with Shiho underneath him. Both of their chests rose and sank with their pants. Dai was trapped between Shiho's legs that were creating two mountains to his right and left, he was waiting for her to bring them down so that he could move away but she didn't. Her eyes looked mesmerizing as they stared at him.

"Why are you doing this, Dai san?" She abruptly asked.

"Doing what?"

"Helping me."

"You need help, I'm trying to do what I could."

"I mean, you don't have to that, I'm only you're girlfriend's sister so you don't have to invest all of this time and effort to help me. But you still do." Shiho said while still panting. This had always been on her mind. Throughout her life, nobody was nice enough to lend her a hand but Dai was the exception. And what better occasion to ask him this than now when she had him trapped.

"You're not just my girlfriend's sister, Shiho. I thought we're friends."

Shiho took a second to let his words sink in before lowering her legs to the floor's level allowing him to move to the side, which he did immediately. Shuichi rolled to her right and laid on the floor next to her. They both stayed like that, looking at the sky above them and catching their breaths.

"They're beautiful." Shuichi noted. It was funny that ever since he got into the organization, he never took a moment to look at the sky and enjoy the stars, he had to be careful by keeping his eyes on his surroundings all the time.

Shiho was looking at the stars too, but not to enjoy their beauty, she was more absorbed into thinking. She turned on her side and faced Dai with a smile. Shuichi noticed her turn with her curved lips through his peripheral vision, he turned his face towards her. "What?"

"Dai san, tell me something about yourself."

"You're talkative today." He noted, turning to face the stars again. "...and why do you wanna know something about me all of a sudden?"

"I just realized that, despite knowing you for so long, I practically don't know anything about you."

"That's not true…You know my favorite drink."

Shiho stared at him as he spoke. "You knew my biggest secret, that's not a fair comparison."

"You didn't tell me about it, I discovered it by myself."

"Yeah yeah let's not get off track, tell me something about yourself."

"There's nothing to tell Shiho, my life is not that interesting." He said, still staring at the sky.

"I'm sure there's something."

Shuichi placed a hand behind his head to support it and sighed. "...What do you wanna know?"

"Why did you get in the organization?"

Shuichi thought for a moment. Shiho kept her eyes focused on him, tracing his face bit by bit, waiting for the answer.

"It was for the money, I was looking for a job and failed to find one that suited me, by the time I joined in I was running so low I wouldn't have been able to pay the next month's rent."

"What about your family? Didn't you have a family to help?"

He turned to face her. "You asked for one thing."

"Please?... It's the last question." Shiho squeaked. She really wanted to know about his family for she lived without one herself and always longed to hear people speak about theirs, to hear their stories of what it's like to have one.

Again, Shuichi stayed silent in thought, he turned his face towards the sky again.

"I did, but they were busy with their own problems."

"What are they like?"

This time Shuichi didn't protest, in fact, he answered readily, as if he wanted to talk about them.

"I have a younger brother, he's really intelligent, I think he's the smartest in the family." He started. Shiho who was laying on her side watching him noticed the weak smile that tickled his lips when he mentioned his family members, it warmed her heart. She heard him commenting on his brother and it made her wonder what kind of family would have a member as smart as Dai and another one that's smarter, she figured maybe they're both as smart, but Dai was just being humble. "And a younger sister, she's pretty sharp too but she has a long way to learn ahead of her. And my mother, she's a very strong woman." He turned to face her suddenly. "She's kind of like you in a way."

"If by that you mean I'm strong like her, then I'm flattered."

At that moment, Shuichi turned on his side to face Shiho who was already lying on her side facing him. "Your turn now."

"I didn't know we were taking turns."

"We are!"

"And what do you want to know?"

"Have you ever met Anokata?" Shuichi asked, it was a bold question from his part but he felt like Shiho was unusually open for talking today, so he needed to make the most out of it to help his infiltration.

Shiho was a little annoyed, he was supposed to ask something about her, but his mind was on different people entirely. It appears he's not as curious about her life as she is about his.

"No! Almost none of the others too. He likes performing from behind the curtains."

Shuichi stayed silent for a while, Shiho kept staring into his eyes, his proximity was confusing her brain.

"And What about Vermouth? I heard she's related to him, is it true?"

"I already answered your question." Shiho said, turning to lay on her back and facing the starry sky. She felt disappointed. _He got the chance to ask her two questions, any two questions, and all he cared about was other people but not her._

"But you got two questions, that's not fair."

"I don't know." She sighed.

"I answered you." Shuichi said.

"I really don't know, it's probably just rumors."

Shuichi propped himself to a sitting position. "...It's getting too late, we both have work in the morning."

Shiho followed him, sitting up. Shuichi who was already standing landed her a hand and helped her to stand.

"You're not bad Shiho, you're doing very well actually. But the technique isn't enough on its own if you have a weak physique. You should start working out."

"I don't have time for that."

"The training facility is right next to the lab so don't make excuses."

"I'll think about it." She said, preceding him through the roof door. Shuichi joined her inside the building, he turned to close the door then followed her down the stairs.

* * *

**Next Chapter: The breakup...**


	19. The Breakup

Akemi made a big mistake by deciding to go to her boyfriend's apartment on foot. The weather was just fine until it suddenly turned into a typical winter day. She felt cold as thick drops of rain soaked every bit of her.

While people ran to hide beneath buildings entrances, Akemi continued running to her destination where she could find shelter in Dai's embrace.

Dai was practically living in her apartment so she never felt the need to visit his. But lately, his visits had lessened and he barely spends the nights with her anymore. Akemi felt him changing. He was detached from her, being always in thought as if he was in another world. She thought maybe it's just a phase, he was introverted and he could get like that sometimes.

Akemi was determined to revive their sparkle, hence this surprise visit.

She finally got to his flat. Shuichi didn't take long to answer the door. His eyebrows rose at the sight of his girlfriend who was soaking wet. Her teeth were chattering but that didn't prevent her from smiling.

"Hi!" She greeted enthusiastically.

"Akemi! What happened to you?" Dai asked, pulling her to the inside by her shoulder and pushing the door behind her close.

"It was sunny, I decided to walk here and I had no umbrella so you can guess the rest." She said, barely able to stop her teeth from hitting one another as she spoke. Shuichi's hand that was on her shoulder could feel her bones shaking.

"You're gonna catch a cold if you stay like this. How about you take a hot shower?"

"That would be great." Akemi agreed.

Within a minute, she was standing in the shower with warm water covering her pale skin. Akemi was enjoying the warmth, she was humming a happy song, feeling so excited about spending the evening with her boyfriend in his apartment.

After readying some clothes to her, Shuichi took a turn to the kitchen to make some tea. _A healthy hot drink should do the trick of improving her immunity._

His thoughts wandered about Akemi.

The past few weeks were quite confusing for Shuichi. He's been training Shiho and she was slowly yet dangerously taking over his thoughts. Through all of that, he never stopped loving Akemi. She still meant the world to him but he was cheating her and he hated himself for it. Every time his eyes lay on her sincere, loving face, his heart would break a bit, enough that he started avoiding her _And now she's here in his apartment_.

Shuichi brought a hand to his temples. He never thought it to be easy, loving two women at the same time and he never was a man to play this game. The love in Akemi's eyes hits him like daggers when he thinks about his doings. He does not deserve it!

He was meant to use Akemi to get into the organization and leave her soon as he's in before they form attachments. But he couldn't let go because he fell in love with her. He was being selfish all of this time, he allowed himself to stay with her until now despite knowing that the longer he kept it the more it'll hurt her to learn the truth. And then, what will his love do her when she realizes that he's an FBI agent that had used her?

Through their time together, Dai was nothing but good to Akemi. But now Shiho is messing with his mind again. It was an alarm, a reminder that he should stop his selfishness and free Akemi so she could find the one she merits. She deserves better than him.

Shuichi decided to step on his heart and put an end to their relationship even if it hurts him. And it was purely out of concern to Akemi, it was for her sake, to prevent her any further pain in the future. He will not do it today though, she came here excited about spending some quality time with him and he will give her just that.

When Akemi showed up in the kitchen again, she was wearing his oversized hoodie.

"I made you some tea." Shuichi handed her a steaming mug.

Akemi thanked him. She turned back to the living room and crossed her way to the balcony where she could watch the rain while sipping her drink. Soon, her boyfriend followed her. She felt him hugging her from behind, sending her a nice warm feeling. Now this is her shelter, nothing in life could make her feel better than being between Dai's arms. That's why she would much rather run in the rain to get to him than waste time waiting for the rain to stop.

Shuichi closed his eyes and enjoyed their moment together, he will certainly miss this in the future...

(*)

As days proceeded, Dai and Shiho continued training. They changed the location from Dai's apartment complex to another place to avoid Gin's suspicion.

Every minute spent with Dai felt like pure happiness to Shiho. When she goes to meet him and realizes that she has him for herself for the next hour; that was her favorite time of the day! She wished it would last forever.

It's not that he's lively and chatty, mostly he's quiet. Except for the training, he doesn't really talk about much. But something about his presence near her lights her up inside, gives her a happiness she could never know without him being close.

More than once she'd got lost in his deep green eyes. Sometimes, Shiho would just stop and stare, she'd observe the way he moves, effortlessly looking handsome. She knew that that's as far as she could ever get.

Sometimes she feels scared that he'd notice her feelings, other times she feels guilty for having them knowing that she has no place in his life; he was still seeing Akemi and she does not want that ruined. _But why does she keep on loving him dammit? Why can't she let go?_

Maybe because he made her feel good; with Dai, she felt equal as a human being, she felt like someone of intelligence and self worth. There were no masks, no lies, no manipulation, no threats…

Gin was the first and only man in her life. Before, she'd always thought that what he did to her was normal, that all relationships were supposed to be that way. Even his exaggerated violence and possessiveness, she thought they were parts of his personality that she needed to accept. But no, that's not how it was supposed to be.

That realization made Shiho loathe Gin for what he took away from her. He deprived her of the warmth and love of a relationship and trapped her into a web of fear and submission. He had ruined her life. She reached the point where she couldn't hide her feelings anymore, she does not want him anywhere near her, she does not want to see his face or hear his voice or even the mention of his name anymore.

Good thing Gin wasn't in Japan. He didn't visit Shiho for days until one Friday evening. They were sitting in her living room when she decided to speak what's on her mind.

"Gin, I think we should break up." Shiho said. Her heart shook on the inside as the words left her mouth. She never dared to say them before, but back then she was numbed, now her hatred intensified that it became unbearable to have him lay his filthy hands on her.

Gin stared at her impassively for a long moment.

"Why are you suddenly asking for this?" He calmly asked.

"It's not really sudden-"

"It is sudden to me." He glared at her in silence before adding sternly. "...Why?"

"I think you know the answer to that." She said in a low voice.

"No I don't know, tell me."

"It-it's because of all the things that you did, Gin. You've been screwing me over for some time."

"I've only been good to you Sherry. If I did something bad then you brought it on yourself, I wouldn't harm you without a reason. But what made you want to break up now? Did something change?" Gin was still uncharacteristically calm.

"Nothing is changed, I just had enough."

"If this has been the case for so long then why are you telling me now of all time?"

"Because I was thinking about it and I finally decided that I want this...Whatever this is-" She motioned with her hand not sure the word relationship was suitable.

"Our-relationship." Gin said with emphasis.

Shiho swallowed hard. She knew he does that when he's angry but went on with all her courage. "..I want it over."

"Okay… Okay." Gin muttered. He was nodding and looking away from her. He let out a sigh then suddenly turned to her again, adding with a louder voice. "Okay."

Shiho joined her hands on her lap to keep them from shaking. Having Gin act so calm scared her, his calmness was always a false alarm, it always precedes a storm and the anticipation of it happening wrecked her nerves. She was preparing herself to use her training in case he attacks her.

The silver haired man got up and walked to her. He kneeled down to meet her gaze.

"You should've told me that earlier. I wouldn't have forced you to be with me against your will, Sherry." He said, moving a strand of hair from her face and placing it behind her ear.

Gin looked at Sherry's face examining every bit of it, taking in every detail for his memory. He loved Sherry, so much he can't think of a life without her.

Shiho looked him back skeptically. _Gin reacting so maturely, so calmly, this was too good to be true._ _Is he gonna do something now? Is he gonna hit her?_

"Goodbye, Sherry." He mumbled before pushing himself forward to print a kiss on her cheek. When done, he stood up. "But remember that you're still mine, and if I can't have you, then no one else could."

_Now that's the Gin she knew_.

(*)

Shuichi was resting home after a busy day when he received a message from Gin asking him to meet. It was surprising seeing that the two haven't worked together for months. The agent put on his jacket. He brought his long hair that was tucked in it out. He grabbed his gun, tucked it in his pants then headed out.

Dai carefully walked inside the warehouse. He found Gin alone inside although he's usually accompanied by vodka. Now the FBI's orders were clear; no getting on Gin's bad side. Nevertheless, Shuichi's hands couldn't help but form tight fists.

"Rye." Gin's voice echoed through the place.

"Gin."

"This is the last time you get called by that. You lost your code name, Dai Moroboshi, and you're back to working with your old crew effective tomorrow."

"Who decided that?" Dai asked.

"I did." Gin replied.

"Then you can take that decision and shove it up your ass."

"Well too bad that I am your fucking superior and I am the one to decide."

"Not this, Gin, you have no saying in this one."

Gin's eyes flashed with anger as Dai continued to approach him. It all started going downhill with Sherry ever since Dai had appeared, it was him that's been feeding her the ideas of leaving and eventually he got to her. Maybe Dai's been trying to make Gin appear as the bad guy to make himself the hero. Maybe he's done all of that just to get Sherry to himself. But Gin won't give him the satisfaction of it. He won't allow his Sherry to be with another man. He'll make Rye pay for everything! _If he can't send him to hell because of Boss, he will bring hell to his life instead._

"You fucker, you were the one to manipulate Sherry to end things with me." Gin snapped.

Shuichi was surprised to hear that she did. He almost lost his poker face as he fought hard to suppress a smile. "So that's what this is about!... What she did is quite expected if you ask me. She doesn't need anyone to tell her to do it because it's the obvious thing to do."

"IT'S NOT. SHE LOVES ME! But you contaminated her thoughts with your bullshit."

"She loves you? Don't make me laugh. I didn't have to 'contaminate' her thoughts, you saved me all the work, Gin. You hurt her, you threaten her, you beat her up… It was only a matter of time before she stands up to you."

Dai's calmness and subtle smile hit a nerve for Gin. "You bastard." He hissed dangerously while swinging his arm to hit Rye, but the latter caught it with his palm.

Shuichi has been trying to follow the FBI's instructions, but now that Gin had attacked him he lost his last bit of self control. He couldn't forgive Gin for what he did to him and he had to make him pay back.

The agent kneed Gin in the stomach and when he stumbled back, he went on kicking him.

Gin quickly regained his balance. He got up and punched Dai on the chest with one hand with the other descending to his gun. Shuichi grabbed his wrist preventing him from reaching it. He held Gin's forearm tightly with both of his hands and dived his knee in it, breaking his bone. Gin didn't want to show pain but he couldn't prevent a short groan from leaving his mouth.

Shuichi didn't stop. He pulled the gun out from Gin's pocket and placed it on his forehead.

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't kill you." Dai's voice was low and steady.

Gin opened his mouth but it was a rhetorical question as it seems for Rye lifted his arm and hit Gin by the gun, Gin's head banged on the wall behind him in response. Shuichi pinned him there, he punched his jaw from the left, and then from underneath. _It felt so satisfying!_

With every punch, Gin felt dizzy and lightheaded. He had a concussion from being hit so hard on the head, that and the broken arm made it impossible for him to attack back. Gin reached for the other gun he had wrapped on his ankle. Shuichi realized it, he grabbed Gin's wrist, stopping him again and turning him around by locking his arm behind his back.

"You want me to break this arm too?" Dai asked, pressing Gin against the wall. He grabbed the member's silver hair and forced him to turn to face him. "You-sick-fuck. If I hear you ever come close to Shiho again, I'll kill you with my own hands. You think she loves you? The only feelings she has for you are hate and contempt... Oh, and in case you need to take someone down in the future, make sure to do it yourself like a man and not send people to drug them when they turn their back." He harshly said before leaving the warehouse.

Gin was barely able to stand with the concussion making everything sway around him. Blood ran down his forehead and he felt exhausted. Soon as Rye left, he slid down the wall, back propped against it.

If there is anything that Gin hates, it's disrespect. He'd always been feared and respected by everyone around him and it was for a reason, he had an iron fist that would ruthlessly turn who stands in his way to history. But Rye disrespected him, he had him on the floor defeated for the first time in his life and Gin wasn't yet ready to accept this fact.

He sighed and closed his eyes. Maybe things would've turned out differently for him if he had a mother, but she died before he could form a memory of her. As for the memories he had of his father, he can't recall a single good one. He remembered him getting back home drunk every night, he remembered how he used to abuse him, calling him all kinds of names and even hitting him at times. He remembered what he told him when he'd dragged him to an orphanage, "I never intended to be stuck with you. If you want to blame anyone, blame your mother for bringing another burden to this world."

Living in the orphanage didn't make Gin's life any better. He winded up running away by the age of 11. He tried to find his father again but discovered that he'd died from cirrhosis. It was better that he found him dead because If he had found him alive, he would've killed him anyway.

Living on the streets was tough. Gin had no close person to trust and had to rely on himself for everything. No one has ever treated him well, absolutely no one! He had some relations but never had he formed any attachments to people, that's why it was too easy for him to dispose of anyone.

Gin's personality was shaped by the years he'd spent on the streets; it taught him to never trust anyone, it killed all of his emotions, leaving him with a cunning mind that couldn't be clouded by a bit of emotion when he decides to execute a plan. For that reason, he made remarkable results in working for the organization.

But sherry was his exception. She was the first person to ever make him feel something. She ignited new feelings in him, things he'd never felt before. Gin was infatuated by her. She was so precious to him that he became too protective of her. With her, he was no longer an outsider but rather felt like he belonged until Dai came and crashed it all. And now, he won't rest until he kills him.

(*)

Akemi was sitting on the couch hugging a pillow while her leg shook on the floor. She heard the key turning. _It must be Dai. He told her earlier that they need to talk._

Seconds later, Dai was standing in her living room. From his hoodie to his military boots, everything he wore on that day was black, making his green eyes shine.

"You said you wanna talk. Is everything okay?" Akemi asked. She did not smile like usual. Instead, she looked worried as if she'd sensed something bad was going to happen.

Shuichi did not want to do it, but he couldn't continue cheating her any longer when she gave him everything. He drew in a deep breath.

"Akemi...We've been together for over two years and you were the best thing that happened to me through that time. But it just doesn't feel right anymore..." He said heavily, gaze alternating between her eyes and the floor. The words barely came out of his mouth and he felt pained to say them. "I think we should break up."

"What!" Akemi cried, surprised. She felt as if she was submerged in a cold, dark well. She stayed silent for a while before smiling. _This must be a joke, it can't be true!_ "…Wha-what do you mean we should break up? Why?"

Dai's eyes slowly lifted from the floor to her.

"I'm sorry, Akemi but… I haven't been feeling good lately. I have some problems and… I don't think we should be together anymore."

Looking at his deadly serious face, Akemi shook her head in disbelieve.

"Well, if you're having problems then tell me what's wrong. Maybe I could help."

Her trying to help him only made it worst. Shuichi was the one asking for the breakup but he felt like he was breaking himself with every word that he said. He escaped her gaze before looking at her again.

"You've done enough already. Akemi, you've been the greatest girlfriend a man could ask for. You've always been too good for me, I don't deserve you. So maybe it's better that you find someone else." Shuichi said with clear bitterness. His last sentence made Akemi's faced wrinkle with pure agony.

"I don't want someone else. Dai kun, I thought we're doing fine. Whatever made you think it's better that we break up, I'm sure we can work it out together." She said, clinging to the hope of him staying.

Dai was a big part of Akemi's life. She relies on him for everything and she love him a lot. The idea of him leaving scared her. She wasn't yet ready to live without him after their two years together.

"We can't...I'm so sorry." He whispered.

Akemi dropped down her gaze. Shuichi could always guess what she's thinking from one look, but now that she was looking away he had no idea what was on her mind.

She stayed silent for a while trying to absorb what he said. It took her aback and pained her to the core. Akemi was in denial, still refusing to believe his words, but she couldn't force him to stay any more than she'd already tried.

"Can you at least tell me why?" Her voice shook.

_How could he even explain? He loves her but has feelings for her sister? Does that even make sense? _Shuichi felt his head throbbing. He lifted a hand and ran it through his loose hair, holding his head for a moment. His heart was aching at Akemi's sight and he wished he could take what he said back.

"I told you I'm having some problems."

"You're having some problems!" She repeated with an unconvinced tone. Dai had his share of problems through the past 2 years and few months they spent together and he never asked for a breakup.

"We're not the same as before, Akemi. We've changed." He started explaining.

"We did not change-"

"I changed."

Akemi stared at him in silence, barely able to keep her tears from falling."...It's someone else, isn't it? You found someone else."

"I did not find someone else." He calmly replied.

The brunette stepped closer to him. Standing at the height of his shoulders, she raised her head to meet his eyes.

"Then did you stop loving me?" She feared to know the answer but dared to ask.

"I still love you. You're very important to me, Akemi. I just feel like we need to break this off."

"Liar! You don't love me anymore."

Akemi felt a lump forming in her throat. Shuichi sensed her voice shocking and could clearly see her eyes starting to glimmer.

"Akemi-" He called softly.

"NO... If you love me, then you wouldn't lie to me. Don't you think I could feel it? Your mind always wandering somewhere else, you're barely with me anymore. I could feel you thinking about someone else."

Shuichi escaped her gaze for a second before looking back at her again.

"Look Akemi, I didn't lie to you. I still love you and I have never been with someone else but you. I just need to be alone, alright? I can't go on with this relationship. You didn't do anything wrong, it's just me and I'm sorry."

Akemi was struggling to keep herself from breaking down in tears. She was upset, hurt beyond belief, her whole life was crumbling apart, but she needed to stay collected in front of him.

She looked at him for a long moment, trying to absorb, to comprehend, to accept what he was saying.

"I understand." She nodded before turning away from him and leaving towards her bedroom.

Her eyes, her voice, they all reflected her pain clearly despite her wanting to hide it. Shuichi saw through them, he wanted to chase after her and hug all of her pain away but he couldn't. He placed the key to her apartment on the coffee table and left.

Soon as she heard the door close, Akemi broke down in tears. The pain was too big for her to handle. Only Dai could cause her pain as deep as this with a few words. Because he was all the way inside her heart he was the only one that could shatter it like this.

When Shiho learned about what happened later, she felt furious at Dai for causing her sister such misery. Akemi was a total mess after his leaving. Shiho had enough and decided to go to him and make him regret it, it was the brunette that convinced her otherwise.

Akemi made Shiho promise that she won't talk to him about it. She'd already tried to make him stay and he seemed like he'd made up his mind. She doesn't want to force herself on him, not after he had left her.

(*)

As weeks went by, Shiho watched Akemi lose her light and laughter and it pained her to the core. She felt really bad for her sister but no less bad for herself. After all, Dai didn't just leave Akemi, he abandoned her too and she hated him for it.

Shiho stopped her contact with him after promising Akemi to not talk to him about the breakup. She was expecting him to contact her instead -they trained together 5 days a week so he had to call her at some point- but Dai didn't call her at all for two weeks.

Dai had certainly proved that she's just a girlfriend's sister to him. Akemi was what mattered and Shiho came with the package, so now that he no longer dated Akemi, nothing held him back from disappearing. _But does she mean this little to him to not even consider calling her once?_ This particular thought troubled Shiho and made her anger at him grow. She really wished she could go beat his ass, if only she hadn't promised Akemi!

* * *

**Next chapter: Things take a horrible turn with Gin. ****Also, it's the 20th chapter so it has an important development for our story :D**

**Till then, have some nice days ;)**


	20. Taking chances

With a yawn, Shiho rested on her desk chair looking fairly bored. She glanced through the window next to her, that's when she noticed someone on the ground floor that turned her boredom into interest. The scientist quickly brought her face closer to the glass examining him. A man like him can't be mistaken, _it's Dai kun!_

It didn't take Shiho long to turn to her laptop again. _Dai had abandoned her and her sister so why should she care that he's here?_ She tried to convince herself of that except that her eyes couldn't help but drift back to the window. She found herself typing nonsense. _Who was she kidding? She won't be able to focus while Dai's presence distracted her._

Shiho closed her laptop and focused her full attention on Dai. The fact that he was standing there in the same building as her made her feelings turn into a rollercoaster. She felt like she wanted to talk to him and fight him. Shiho wanted to see him closely, but why does she miss him when he made it clear that she has no place in his life? She even felt disappointed as she watched him leave towards the parking lot.

Shiho rested her forehead on the window glass in thought. _So he had a meeting with that blonde guy and now he's leaving. It's no longer like the old days when he'd stop by her office to say hi._

"Hey!" A deep voice cut through the silence sending a shiver down her spine. The scientist turned on her chair to find Dai standing by her office door.

Shuichi examined her from his position. _God, he had missed her so much and was glad to finally see her!_

"You seem to be much centered with the view outside your window. Were you maybe... keeping an eye on someone?"

"I have better things to do." She retorted.

Shiho was not in the mood to play his games. She got up from her seat and walked up to him. Time did calm her down but seeing him closely was enough for her anger to reappear. Now that she was in front of him, she no longer was sure she could keep that promise she had made her sister.

"So you finally decide to show up after a month without contact and this is all you have to say?"

"How's Akemi doing?"

"Why do you care? She's not your girlfriend anymore." Shiho snapped at him.

"It's more complicated than that. Leaving her doesn't mean that I stopped caring for her." His voice was low. Shiho could detect a hint of sadness in it.

"That doesn't change the fact that she's been hurting because of you, and you didn't care to check on her once."

"I wanted to, but I thought it would be better if I stay away and allow her some time for herself. I understand that she doesn't want to see me after what happened."

"If you truly cared to check on her without her seeing you then you would've called me. Why didn't you call me?" Shiho asked. She seemed to calm down a little for her tone was soft this time.

It was a sentence she chose carefully to say. It cut her deep that he didn't care for her but she didn't want her words to expose her feelings, so she hid her accusations subtly behind this sentence.

"I had considered that too but I knew you'd be angry at me as well."

_So that's it! That's all he has to say for the pain he had caused her!_ Shiho wanted to scold him, to ask him what she meant to him, to ask if he'd missed her, but she was in no position to ask any of those questions. He was clearly here for Akemi and she couldn't force herself as a topic of discussion.

He always comes to her to ask about Akemi whether what gift he should get her? Or why she's mad at him? And Shiho was bound to help him every time. This time is no different, she'll just take the back seat and help them work their relationship like she always does, ignoring her own feelings.

With a nod, she averted her gaze from him and down to the floor.

"What do you want now?" She asked in a low voice.

"You still haven't answered my question."

"She's not good. She tries to hide it but I could tell that she's not." Shiho answered him honestly.

Shuichi scowled. Leaving Akemi was hard for him as well, he still believed it to be the right thing but it hurt him to hear that she's suffering.

Shiho met his gaze again. She could see in his eyes how he cared for her sister, she cursed herself for loving him when he and Akemi loved each other that much.

"I'm sorry. I wish there's something I could do..." He mumbled. "I think it's better if I go now, sorry to take your time."

Watching him turn to leave made Shiho clench her teeth. She still didn't get a single word out of him to ask about her and now he's leaving! All this time she's been hurting when he didn't care to say a stupid 'how are you'? He's just gonna disappear from her life again and she had no idea when he'll reappear. Maybe never.

"Is this the last time that I see you?" She blurted without thinking just to keep him a bit longer. Dai turned to her.

"What made you think that?"

"I don't know. You disappeared for a whole month without a trace, who knows when I'll next see you."

"That depends on you. If you want to see me then I'll be around. I only disappeared because you didn't want to see me."

Shiho thought for a moment before adding hesitantly. "Who said that I didn't?"

"I've known you for two years, Shiho. I'm sure if you'd seen me earlier you wouldn't be as calm as you are now." He smiled faintly.

Shiho stared at him in silence. Oh well, he was right in a way, she probably would've kicked him out her office without listening to him if he'd come to her two weeks ago.

Staring back into her blues overwhelmed Shuichi. He really did miss her so much!

"I missed you." He muttered thoughtlessly.

Shiho felt her cheeks immediately heat up. Just three words from Dai were enough to satisfy her. Only the words that come from him could affect her on such a deep level, only a look from his eyes could make her feel so much joy.

She was happy to hear that he cared, but that doesn't deny the fact that she was not willing to show her enthusiasm, not after he'd left her for a month. Shiho suppressed a smile and gave him one of her mean looks.

"Well, what's socially acceptable to say is 'me too', so I'll say that."

Turns out, Shiho couldn't contain her excitement for long since a grin split her face soon as she finished her sentence. She smiled... And Dai reciprocated immediately.

This was the first time he sees her smile in over a month, she looked beautiful! Shuichi felt relieved that she was no longer mad at him. He missed her so much through the past weeks and was so glad to have their old dynamic restored.

They soon gained back their old friendship and got back to training together.

(*)

Gin had always had full confidence in his skills and the results he made only strengthened those beliefs until Rye broke his arrogance. Gin had isolated himself for a while to recover. He didn't want anyone to know he'd lost to Rye. His grudge towards the latter grew more than ever and he was plotting to get him. He felt like he wouldn't rest unless Rye dies. But he had to be careful! He had to plot it stealthy for Boss to not notice, and for Rye's death to pass unnoticed, Gin needed time to think of a good plan.

He hasn't met Sherry since their breakup and although he wanted to see her badly, he never caved in to those emotions. Today, however, he had some work in the lab. His business was in the Lab's basement but he couldn't stop himself from riding the elevator to the fifth floor just for the sake of seeing her.

She was his guilty pleasure and dammit did he miss her! He won't talk to her though; he'll just look at her from afar to refill his memory with her beautiful face. But what Gin didn't expect was how that will make him feel.

Shiho walked out of her office. She was wearing her lab coat and held a file in her hand, she was absorbed into rechecking its content. She looked healthier than the time Gin last saw her; her hair looked glowing, slightly moving up and down with every step she took, her skin looked gorgeous and her lips stole Gin's mind with their movement as they silently read what was written on the paper.

Gin stood in his place next to the elevator. His eyes were open wide following the scientist. Usually, they'd look dead, but now they were all want and desire. All the feelings he's been ignoring resurfaced again, they were even stronger now that he knew he couldn't have her. Gin had a strong feeling in his gut that drove him to change his plan from looking at her from afar, to taking a closer look at her face.

_How could the mere seeing of a person ignite in him such strong feelings? How is that even possible? His Sherry was the embodiment of irresistibility._

Shiho disappeared into another office giving Gin a chance to move his eyes away. He turned and headed to her office. The place smelled like Sherry, it only helped ignite his feelings more. Gin took a look around and then proceeded to sit on her desk chair. He turned it to face the window as he waited patiently for the scientist to get back. It didn't take long before she did.

When he heard her enter the office, he turned on the chair to face her. His lips twisted into a grin as his deep voice welcomed her.

"Hello, Sherry!"

"Gin!... When you said goodbye the last time I thought I won't be seeing you again." Shiho said, not looking as pleased as he was.

"I did say that, but I had work in here today and I'm a loyal man to my friends, Sherry. When I pass by from their place of work, I stop by to say hello."

Gin had his back resting on the chair. He was moving it slightly left and right while keeping his hands behind his head, reflecting superiority.

"How sweet of you!" She smiled sarcastically. "That's been noted from you, Gin. Can you give me back my chair now? I have work to do."

Gin brought his hands down from the back of his head, ignoring her request.

"There's another reason that I came here. It's been so long since we last spoke, so how about we grab a drink together later?"

Shiho felt sick. _Just when she thought she got rid of him forever it seems he's going back to his old ways as if nothing had happened._

"Gin, we already went through this and I didn't change my mind. I still want us to be apart."

"Who said something about getting back together?" He suddenly stood up. Gin took some steps and stood in front of her. "I just want to have a drink with you as friends, do you have a problem with that?"

Shiho crossed her arms. "Is that what we are now? We're friends?"

"I was hoping that we're more than that." His voice was low when he said that before continuing louder. "But that's in the past now. I'll be in Brooklyn bar later…"

"No, Gin, I'm not interested."

"At seven." Gin continued confidently as if he didn't hear her declining his offer.

"I'm not coming, Gin." Shiho confronted.

Gin stared at her fiercely. He suddenly held her by her elbow and pulled her closer to him.

"I'll wait for you… At seven… Brooklyn bar."

(*)

Shiho walked back and forth next to her floor to ceiling window. She glanced at the clock on the wall, it was already seven o'clock (It was a Saturday and work ended early in the Lab).

She kept thinking about Gin's offer. Shiho felt that if she goes to meet him, she'll be sucked in his old loop without being able to get out again. But the way his narrowed eyes looked at her when he said he'll wait for her kept coming back to her memory, and after years of abuse, she couldn't help but feel terror whenever Gin gives her that look.

She kept walking restlessly. Her eyes kept glancing back at the ticking clock and her mind kept thinking about Gin. It was already 7:35. _He must be furious, he hates it when people are late, he hates waiting, she knows._

Shiho thought; Gin said that he does not want back together, they'll be going out as friends, so maybe she could just go as a 'friend'. In fact, that would be a good thing for her. Ending things with Gin while keeping a _friendly_ relationship is far better than making him an _enemy_ by ignoring his invite, and God knows how much Gin hates that. At least, going will put her tormented soul at ease because right now she felt threatened, she felt like he could break her door at any moment to punish her for ignoring his offer.

After a long quarrel with herself, Shiho decided to go.

By the time she got there, it was already 8:10. Shiho did not expect to find Gin. Surprisingly, she found him sitting at the bar with a glass of whiskey in front of him. She walked in confidently and sat on the stool next to him. Her overwhelming scent preceded her and flooded Gin's nostrils.

Shiho kept silent and Gin didn't turn to face her, but the distinctive scent was enough for him to confirm her presence. _It was not just the perfume, it was how it interacted with Sherry's skin. No one else could smell as good as her even if they wear the same perfume, his Sherry was the only one in the world!_

"You're late." Gin sternly said.

"I got held up doing something." Shiho answered, hoping that he won't ask further questions about that.

"I was about to head home."

"Good thing that you didn't then." She said, before turning to the bartender who approached them. "I'll have a glass of Sherry."

Gin took the opportunity to turn her way and examine her. Sherry looked glowing! The red elegant dress fitted her perfectly and the v neck only added to her breathtaking look. She suddenly turned to face him again.

"So we're friends now huh! What did you want to talk about, _friend_?" Shiho casually said.

"Actually, Sherry, I've been here long enough. I think we should head home."

"But I just got here."

"That's your problem. You were the unpunctual one." Gin gobbled what was left in his glass then turned to her. "Should we go to your place or mine?"

Shiho's look turned into a fierce glare. "May I remind you that we're just here as friends."

"So what! We could be just friends… with… some benefits." Gin grinned.

Realizing that the meeting was taking another turn, Shiho moved on the barstool uncomfortably. _She should've seen that coming, it was stupid of her to believe they could share a normal relationship._

"Umm, we shouldn't be having this conversation."

Gin brought his face closer to hers. "You wouldn't be here if you didn't want to be having this conversation."

His words leaped Shiho to her feet. "Gin, I only came here because you made it clear to me that we won't. You said we're going out just as friends."

"That was a load of bullshit and you know it. You're a smart woman sherry, don't play stupid it doesn't suit you."

"No I guess I messed up this time, I took the stupid decision of coming here." She said before turning on her heels and leaving.

Gin threw some bills to pay for the drinks then rushed behind her. He watched her as she threw her black jacket on her shoulders before getting outside. When he got out after her, the cold breeze enveloped him. Gin could feel the cold through his pants, he couldn't imagine what Sherry must be feeling wearing a short dress.

He fastened his steps towards her and held her by the hand. Shiho stopped walking and freed her hand from his grip immediately. Without saying a word, Gin took off his long coat and placed it on her shoulders. When she tried to take it off, he stopped her.

"Don't! You know that you need it, Sherry. Come on now let me drive you home."

"I'll wait for my driver."

"Your driver wouldn't expect you to be heading home this fast, it will take him a while to come back here to pick you up. It's too cold for you with that dress, come on."

"No, Gin I'll wait." Shiho interjected stubbornly. She grabbed the phone out of her purse to call the driver. "I can give you your coat back if you want."

Gin held the phone from her hand and threw it back inside the purse before snatching it from her hand.

"Give me back my purse!" Shiho frowned. But Gin was already walking his way to the Black Porsche that was parked a couple of meters away from them.

Shiho stood in her place in rage. Gin drove the car and stopped it in front of her. He bent and opened the passenger's seat door. The redhead just glared at him with her chin up. Her phone and money were in that purse, she won't be able to get home without them. After hesitating for a while, she got in.

The drive was filled with silence as both of them didn't talk. Shiho was turning to look out the window and Gin was focusing on the road. When they finally got to her apartment complex, Shiho got off the car, but for some reason, Gin did too.

"Here is enough, Gin. I can walk in by myself." She dryly said.

"What kind of a man will that make me if I don't ensure you're protection? I've seen how men were looking at you in the bar, Sherry. I don't want you to be harassed on your way to your apartment." He smirked.

"Cut the bullshit, that's not why you want to walk me in." She hissed.

Sherry had no idea that her rejection only tempted Gin more, that and the shots of whiskey he had earlier made his emotions think for him. Gin held her by the elbow and started dragging her towards the main entrance.

"How many times do I have to tell you to clean that nasty mouth of yours." He hissed back.

Shiho walked along with Gin. She could've used her training to escape his grip but she preferred not to. She still wanted her connection with him to be peaceful and she wanted to keep her new skills a secret so that she could take him aback if he ever dares to hurt her again. Walking her to the apartment wasn't really that big of a threat, unless he tries to pull something on her, then she'll certainly react.

When she finally got to her apartment, Shiho handed Gin his coat and started pressing the password to her door while making sure to hide the board so that he wouldn't see the numbers. When the door opened, she turned to him.

"I'm safe in here. Nobody will hit on me in my own apartment so you can go." Shiho walked inside sending him a final glare with the door in her hand. "Good night, Gin." She dryly said while pushing the door to close it.

Gin studied her face. _She looked so beautiful he could safely call her the most beautiful woman to ever have existed._ In a fast move, he placed his foot between the door and the wall preventing her from closing it. Shiho fought to close it from the inside but Gin outstrengthened her. He got inside and held her by the shoulder.

"Gin-" Shiho started warningly with a deep frown splitting her forehead. But Gin interrupted by pressing his index gently to her lips.

"Shh… I know what you're going to say." He softly said, expressions softened. "I know I haven't been the best to you of late, Sherry… But, I'm sorry. There. I said it… I'm sorry."

Gin ran his fingers through her hair while staring into her eyes. The frown on her face seemed to have disappeared. Sherry looked him back surprised. This is the first time she ever hears Gin apologize, not just to her but to anyone. This might be the first time Gin apologizes to anyone, and he seemed to truly mean it.

Sherry's proximity was exercising its magical effect on Gin. He wanted her so badly and longed to kiss her lips.

"Let's start over, okay?... We have had chemistry from the second we first met, remember? So let's start over, Sherry. Let's pick up from where we started." Gin's voice was louder this time, but with each passing moment, desire grew and became more evident in his voice, it was deep and low, interrupted by his breaths.

This was true. Gin and Sherry have had chemistry from their first meeting. At first, Shiho only intended for it to be a one night thing to feed her desire for a man like Gin, he was handsome, smart, and had the ability to protect her from other members. With time, it turned into a ritual that they do every now and then. It wasn't really a relationship, it was more like a fling that they shared from time to time, a sexual relationship, no more no less. It was like that until Gin decided to take it to the next level, he started treating Shiho like his own property without giving her a way out, he suffocated her for years with his paranoia and possessiveness. She's had enough and she won't accept being sucked into that again.

"We can't go back, Gin." Shiho finally said with a low voice.

"Shh!" Gin hushed her again, lowering her jacked down and exposing her bare shoulder. He brought down his head and started printing light kisses on it. He inhaled deeply for the scent he had missed. _The mere kiss on his Sherry's shoulder was better than any other joy in life._

"Gin." Sherry called, placing her hands on his shoulders. She dared to push him back for the first time in her life.

Gin raised his eyes to meet hers with his breathing heavied. He'd already crossed the point of no return, he wanted her and he wanted her now! Gin pulled her closer and lowered his head to her neck. He dived in there and started kissing her skin.

"No, Gin!" Shiho pushed him away, depriving him of his favorite pleasure once more. "Please, just leave." She softly said.

"What do you mean by leave? Don't fuck with me, Sherry. You've been leading me on to this the whole night. You came to me yourself wearing this dress and now you're saying that you don't want this?"

"You said-"

"I don't care what I said. I didn't force you to come to the bar, I didn't force you to wear this but here you are wearing it." He raged.

"You're sick." Shiho muttered while moving away from him, but Gin caught her and dragged her back to where she was standing behind the door. He pinned her wrists to the wall with one hand and held her chin with the other, forcing her to look at him.

"Don't you understand? I love you, Sherry…"Gin started slowly. It was the first time Shiho sees him like that, he looked sincere, for once in his life Gin didn't reflect superiority, for once he looked weak and helpless. "I love you! I love you! I LOVE YOU." He said, voice getting louder with each time he repeated it. _He hated that he loved her._

Shiho just looked at him without responding. The only things heard in the room were Gin's inhales and exhales.

"…Say something." He mumbled, withdrawing the hand that held her chin.

Soon as he did, Shiho turned to the side without giving him an answer. Gin felt furious. He drove a fist in the wall behind her before lowering his head down to her neck and kissing it again. Shiho struggled to free her wrists but she couldn't. That's when she realized it was time to bring out her secret weapon. _There's no way Gin will let things end peacefully, he's always been violent so only violence will stop him._

Shiho brought her knee up and dived it into his stomach, she then swung her now freed fist and punched him on the face. Gin didn't even try to block her as he stood there taken aback by the sudden attack. He had no idea Sherry had such skills, and even if she did, he never expected her to use them on him.

Shiho felt so satisfied for punching him, this was the first time she ever gets to him. While Gin stood startled, she tried to open the door and leave, but Gin grabbed her by the hair and wrapped his arms around her. Both of Shiho's arms and her fragile body were encircled by Gin's long arms now, her legs were of no use with him behind her. Shiho felt trapped and it frightened her.

"I always tell you that you never cease to surprise me, Sherry. That's why I keep on coming back, to see what new things you have for me." He muttered in her ear.

Gin turned and dragged her to the couch. When he got there, he threw her down violently and landed on top of her. He pinned both of her wrists down and brought his face to her neck again, kissing it. He's been deprived of her for a long time and now he felt hungry for her. _Nobody could give him such pleasure in life, what was he thinking when he accepted the breakup? He's never gonna give her up again._

Gin kept printing kisses on Shiho's skin while she kept struggling underneath him.

"No…NO!" She yelled in terror. _This can't be it. This will bring her back to point zero. No, Gin had never forced her into this before, this will wreck her even more than she already was. She can't let it happen._

In a last attempt to escape, Shiho bent her leg and placed her foot against Gin's hip pushing him away. When his grip weakened by her move, She used her training to free her wrists. She then rapidly rolled to the side, falling off the couch to the ground. Shiho got up fast and ran outside the door without looking back.

The redhead's limbs were shaking and she could barely stabilize her breathing. She ran to the elevator and anxiously waited for it to close before Gin comes and grab her back. Luckily, he didn't come after her in the hallway. The elevator finally closed and brought her down.

Shiho rushed out of the building. She kept walking aimlessly, just wanting away from her apartment. The weather was too cold but adrenalin didn't let her feel any. And although her face had a neutral expression on it, tears flew down her cheeks uncontrollably.

She kept walking until she reached an intersection. That's when she stopped. She was barely hearing anything from the traffic around her, all she could hear was ringing in her ears. Shiho wasn't even aware where she was and had no idea where she was going, she was just frozen on the sidewalk, looking ahead without seeing anything. Her eyebrows suddenly drew in the middle. _Why does pain keep on following her even when she tried to end it, why?_

A cold breeze pulled her out of her chock, and for the first time in a while, she was aware of her surroundings. Shiho thought for a moment; Where could she go? She felt scared and lost. She needed safety. That's when Dai came to her mind. She needed to be with him.

She looked around and saw a convenience store to her left. Shiho dived her hand in the jacket's pocket and found some bills in there, they should suffice to buy her something.

(*)

It was one of the rare times Shuichi manages to fall deeply asleep. But to his luck, the door was knocked, and being the light sleeper he was, his eyes flickered open.

Shiho's hands were like pieces of ice on the door. Dai opened after a moment. His hair was messy and his eyes were heavy from sleep, but they grew soon as they landed on his unexpected guest.

"Shiho? What are you doing here?" He asked, voice hoarse.

"It looks like I interrupted your sleep. I'm sorry."

"Don't be, I'm not a big fan of it anyway." Dai held the door open and motioned to her to get inside.

"Yeah, I noticed. You're almost awake at every hour of the day." She said while walking in.

"Anyways, what brings you here?" Shuichi asked as he joined her in the living room. It was a Saturday and they had no training scheduled on weekends.

Shiho lifted the six pack of beer she brought to his face. "I hope you're in the mood for this!"

"I guess so." Shuichi shrugged. Although he promised himself to never get drunk while with Shiho, he didn't mind getting a beer. He's used to much stronger alcohol so a beer won't really affect his perception.

Shuichi took the six pack from her. He unpacked it in the kitchen and opened two bottles before going back to the living room. He handed Shiho one and started drinking the other.

The two sat on the couch and chatted for a while.

Shiho didn't want to mention what happened earlier to Dai. She had enough of showing her weakness to him. He's done enough already by training her. _Now she has to deal with her problems herself, no more getting Dai involved, not after what happened to him the last time when Gin abducted him. _

Shuichi, though, was able to sense something. Shiho didn't look like she was here just to hang. He knew she was trying to cover up something, _maybe something Gin related._ He had no idea what circumstances made her come to him, but what he knew was that she looked so fragile and sad despite the firm expression she was using to hide it.

"Are you okay?" He asked at one point.

"I'm, I'm good!" And she replied.

He was positive she was lying._ When will she learn that it's okay to expose her weakness, why does she have to always act strong in front of everyone while dealing with hardship all alone? Dai thought. _But he'll surely make her spill the beans.

When Shuichi finished his beer, he got up to bring himself another.

"I'm sure I had a bottle of Gin somewhere." He suddenly said.

Just when he mentioned Gin's name, Shiho's face turned towards him in a fast motion and she fixed her widened eyes on his.

"Aha." He pointed at her. "That look on your face. You're not okay Shiho and it's because of Gin."

"Are you seriously going to use this on me?" She looked at him, unimpressed.

"I think I just did."

"Oh wow, how smart!"

"I know." His lips lifted at the side.

"For the record, I am being sarcastic. I'm saying this because maybe you have trouble telling sarcasm and truth apart, since you would use such a stupid method to build conclusions."

"That's not a stupid method. It's a psychological trick that surpasses the filters of your mind and gets answers straight from the subconscious. If Gin weren't to be on your mind right now, you wouldn't have had that reaction."

"Why do you always do this?...Can't you just be satisfied with what I tell you? Why do you always try to find other things behind my words?" Shiho asked, irritated.

"Because you're a liar, Shiho. You always lie to me so I had to get creative."

Shiho sighed. She turned away from him to look ahead of her and took a sip from her beer.

"Look, Dai san, I came here to have a good time so please don't ruin it for me. Let's not talk about this for the rest of the evening, okay?"

Dai didn't answer, he just turned on his heels and headed to the kitchen before coming back with another beer in his hand. When he came back, he found that Shiho had took off her jacket. Shuichi examined her as he walked. The red dress looked so good on her, and the red lipstick looked like it was made just for her lips. Shuichi could've sworn she was the most beautiful woman he has ever seen, but he'll never say it out loud.

Despite her beauty, he still sensed her sadness. The agent had enough of it. He approached her and squatted down in front of her so that their faces would be on the same level. Shuichi searched her gaze.

"I can't do this, Shiho. I know something's wrong and I…What is it you're not telling me? If you don't want to tell me then fine, but don't deny it and pretend that everything's okay."

Shiho stared back into his greens silently. She hated being in this position, being weak and defeated.

"Don't you trust me?" Dai went on softly.

"I do…" Her voice was so low.

"Then why do you keep on hiding things from me?"

She swallowed hard. "It was, Gin...He came to my apartment and… and then he tried to…" Her lips pressed together tightly before she continued. "Force himself on me...But I stopped him and ran away."

Shuichi's face suddenly softened to a sympathetic expression. He somehow lost all words, no word on his mind was suitable enough to be said. His hands cupped her cheeks before proceeding to move behind her back, pulling her closer to him and hugging her tightly.

Shiho didn't realize how much she needed to hug him until she felt his strong arms wrapped around her body. Her vision started to blur. She closed her eyes tightly getting rid of the excess water, relieved that he couldn't see her face with her head resting on his shoulder.

Being close to Dai made Shiho feel safe. Maybe he'll manage to make her forget, too. But in order to forget…

"Dai san, let's not talk about him anymore, at least for tonight." She said when they broke the hug.

"But-…"

"Please! I don't want to think of him."

Dai nodded silently. He thought for a moment, how could he make her forget? He himself was not able to get her words out of his mind. But then he had an idea that might help them brighten the mood.

Shuichi disappeared from Shiho's sight. Not so long after, the sound of music tickled her ears. Shiho recognized the song and smiled weakly. _So even his taste in music was perfect!_

She grabbed her beer again, got up, and crossed her way to the balcony to inhale for some fresh air. When she walked back to the inside she found Dai standing behind her. The redhead slid the balcony's door close then turned to him.

"Do you know how to dance?" He asked.

"I… No, not really." She answered. Being born in an organization, one doesn't really get a chance to learn such things.

"So now apart from self defense, I'll have to give you some dancing lessons as well. Add that to your list." Shuichi said, hoping to take her mind off what was bothering her. "This reminds me of the time..."

Dai kept talking, telling her a story about his days in university, but Shiho wasn't really listening. She was gazing at his face, following every movement, every wrinkle that appeared from his smiles and frowns as he told the story. She could tell he was doing his best to make her forget, at least for the next hours that she's with him. He always does his best to help her and she loved him so much for it.

Suddenly, her focus shifted. From the horror of the past hour and being taken against her will, to the pleasure of being with the one she truly loved and longed for.

Shiho was surprised at herself. _Why is she having these thoughts after what happened to her earlier?_ But she couldn't stop them, Dai was standing in front of her, still talking, and he looked so damn good. _Even his smell was good, may God help her with this._

As if she was driven by an invisible force, Shiho took a step forward reducing the distance between them and printed her lips on his, shutting him up midsentence.

At first, Shuichi froze in his place. He was taken aback by her sudden kiss. But then his brain restarted working. _He was not planning to let this happen again_. He pushed her away and took a step back.

"This is not right Shiho. You're drunk."

"Yeah, I guess I'm... I'm drunk." She said. The redhead turned to face the balcony leaving Dai standing behind her and avoiding the embarrassment of looking him in the eye. She wiped her lips with her hand.

She was not drunk! How could she be after drinking half a beer? She was in her complete senses but she wanted to kiss him. She agreed she's drunk only to save herself the humiliation. Dai's rejection hurt her. It's not even the first time she kisses him and with him being sober this time, he'll certainly remember it clearly. _How will she be able to face him in the future with such humiliating history between them? What was she thinking? She better apologize now to save what could be saved._

"Dai san, I'm sorr…" Shiho started as she turned around to face him again, but she stopped talking when she found that Dai had taken a step towards her while she was facing the balcony. It surprised her. He was standing too close to her now and she didn't know how to react to it. She just looked at him confused.

Shuichi tilted his head and gently took her lips, feeling their softness and the sweet taste of her lipstick.

Shiho stood startled. She wanted this for as long as she could remember but had always thought it was unachievable. But now they were kissing, Dai came to her, he chose to, he wanted her, and he was surely sober this time.

She reciprocated his kiss, full of devotion. The kiss that started softly deepened as their bodies melted together, hers into his.

Shuichi had wanted this for so long but always thought it was wrong. This time though, he couldn't help it. He caved in for his wants ignoring the voice of reason. He kissed Shiho, unleashing his love for her. But although he wanted Shiho badly, he had to make sure that she really wanted him too, that she's not just having a fling that she'll regret. She's just been through a traumatic experience, this might be all the effect of her shock and there's also his history with her sister, so maybe it's better that they don't continue what they started.

"Shiho…" Shuichi broke the contact of their mouths. Shiho loved how he called her name through his quickened breathing. "This is wrong… You'll regret it tomorrow."

"I won't." She shook her head, breathing heavied. "We're both single, aren't we? So what's wrong with it?".

Their faces approached again and they passionately kissed for another time, this one didn't last long before Shuichi drew away again. Shiho just needed him to shut up and kiss her, but Dai had other thoughts.

"Shiho...You had a chock! This is because of what happened with Gin earlier… I-"

Shiho interrupted him by pressing her finger against his lips, she found them warm and reddened from hers. She could see the battle raging within him. He didn't want to take advantage of her and wanted to make sure she wasn't going through a fling to escape her problems. Shiho respected Dai for that, she even liked it, but only as long as he gave in to her eventually.

"You think this is about Gin?... It's not, Dai san, I want you."

Shuichi didn't need to be told twice. He wanted Shiho. He wouldn't know what would've happened to him if she'd listened to his warnings and left. He was staring deeply into her blues he could see how much she wanted him too. _How come he's been oblivious all of this time? It's only now that he realized it, now it was so clear in her eyes._

Shuichi cupped Shiho's cheeks. His head was tilted down to face her, lips almost touching. "I want you too, Shiho." He whispered, before kissing her again.

Shiho's legs were barely able to support her, she pressed her back against the balcony's door behind her to gain support. Dai's words were like a song to her ears. _Did she die and go to heaven?_ This was so good to be true for a person used to receive one pain after another, this is the first time she gets a good thing in life.

Shuichi brought his head down from her face finding her skin and kissing her passionately. Pleasure spread through Shiho. Her hands which were in his hair descended down to his shirt unbuttoning it. Dai lifted his head up and kissed her lips again as she wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him back passionately. Shiho felt like the entire world fell away and nothing but their bodies together remained. Dai lifted her up, wrapping her legs around his waist and carrying her into his bedroom. Shiho kept kissing him on the way, eyes closed and mind in a place where nothing mattered, nothing except Dai with her...

* * *

**Happy New year!**

**This fanfic is coming to an end so soon, I hope you all have been enjoying it so far. **


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